Amit Khanna: Here's 'electiontainment'

Electronic medium is emerging as a major battleground for vote-seekers

Idiot: noun. From Greek: a person who does not hold or vote for public office Idiot box: noun. Slang : television

However tenuous, there is more than an etymological link between these words listed above. If the last few weeks are anything to go by, the coming general election is the first true electronic election. Not only are voters going to use electronic voting machines to cast votes, but also for the first time the electronic media is the major battleground for those who are seeking votes.

We have in the past decade seen television emerge as a major campaign tool, with post election analysis and counting attracting a huge viewership. This phenomenon actually goes back to the early days of Doordarshan, which ran marathon election specials interspersed with movies for days on end after the elections. Satellite channels later picked this up.

Prannoy Roy, a professional psephologist (along with Vinod Dua) first found stardom in election specials. In fact, till the last elections the basic format of pre and post poll analysis remained almost similar, with exit polls having been introduced some years ago. Pre-election coverage would begin with studio discussions, move on to a reporter hitting the campaign trail and then would end with long-drawn-out analysis.

A few familiar faces "� psephologists, journalists, politicians "� would studio hop as the counting went on and projections were made. The winners and vanquished would feature in a mandatory post election wrap up. Finally, the run-up to the formation of the government would occupy screen time. Somehow it all looked amateurish, with satellite links snapping and media unfriendly politicians and an overdose of verbosity.

That was in 1999.The last century. This is the 21st century. The attention age. So it is not surprising that what we are seeing unfold before us as we go to the polls is another new age phenomenon "� 'electiontainment'. Of course, like all elections, India, especially rural India, has always looked upon elections as some kind of a festival, a sort of an "ardh kumbh." While local hustings, nukkad sabhas, rallies and door-to-door campaigns with their caste and creed underpinnings, mud slinging, rhetoric and empty promises still dominate the elections, this time it's the telly which is magnifying the heat and dust, the colour and cacophony of the new millennium's greatest democratic "tamasha." Nothing captures the accompanying melodrama more than the small screen. If there were six news channels in 1999, we have 36 this time around.

In a world where people, products, ideas and ideology are all vying for attention, a counter-communication is building up. Not only do you have to be imitative of the most popular but you also have to rise above the clutter. Television as a medium has moved past Marshal Macluhan and the medium is no longer the message. Whether it is cricket, Formula One, beatification, a beauty pageant, movies or music, politics or crime "� everything is potential entertainment. It is almost as if the media are becoming programmed to provide fodder for the senses. TV channels want eyeballs, which alone get translated into profits. So when all the channels are showing the same type of programmes with almost identical faces as protagonists, it is bound to impact even politicking.

Interestingly, the more the merrier seems to be working for the news channels. Whether the surfeit of electioneering will turn into viewer ennui has to be seen.

Unquestionably, more Indians than ever before are following the election process through TV this time. I am also convinced that telegenity is going to play a more important role in the coming polls. Although the same set of politicians is surfacing across channels, some are clearly winners.

This column is not meant to assess who the political winners will be. But the changing contours of 'electiontainment' are definitely going to have an impact on the result. There is better-defined TV advertising this time. And as of now, it looks as if we are in for a series of exit polls and forecasts.

Is all this an overload of information for the average voter? How much of what is seen is believed? Is India as a nation really swayed by glib-talking, fumbling, and bumbling politicians or for that matter the aggressive questioning and graphic audio-visuals by tired TV reporters? Is this really a telly election or is it merely a media watcher's fantasy?

These questions will be answered in a few weeks time. Meanwhile, let's take a look at some of the more common trends in TV coverage of the elections. For one, there is much more on-the-spot reportage even from smaller towns. Electronic news gathering has become more affordable and convenienent. There is better packaging and graphics. Almost all news channels are spending a day with important candidates. All channels have interactive debates with politicians of all hues. There have already been half a dozen opinion polls. Surprisingly too, every channel has a spoof or a satire running on the elections "� 'Gustakhi Maaf', 'Double Take', 'Poll ki Khol', 'Harry Voter', 'JBC' to name a few. Though most of the humour is forced and pedantic, it is at least breaking the monotony. Aaj Tak ev en has an election qawalli.

Conversely, non-news channels are trying to be topical by including election-related programming.

These are early days yet but a trend is emerging. Not only will you get to watch a lot more 'electiontainment ' now that cricket mania has subsided for a while, but you will also be cajoled, implored and influenced through the airwaves. TV channels will make some money out of the business "� upwards of Rs 200 crore in advertising. Probably all of us may be a little wiser about sweet nothings. The global media will turn its focus on the world's largest democratic exercise for a while.

There will be a lot to watch and listen in the next 30 days. And a flurry of exit polls too. Ultimately, we will have to see who wins in Election 2004 in India "� the idiot or the idiot box!

Amit Khanna is chairman of Reliance Entertainment and the views here expressed are his own