For some voters, being online doesn't mean being aware of key schemes

While political parties of all hues have pumped in crores to push online campaign material, government agencies continue to struggle in spreading awareness about crucial schemes

On a steamy 45-hour train journey across the length of the east coast, Tapan Alam, a labourer from West Bengal, fell back on a singular comfort —he remained glued to his mobile screen, watching short political clips of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. While Tapan was quick to tell anyone that Banerjee is the best bet for the state, he admitted that he doesn’t know about any of the schemes she has started.

Across India’s vast hinterland, the digital revolution has made information instantaneous, but the consequences of that have panned out not in a way the government had hoped.