Facebook launches 'Facebook Talks Live' in a run-up to general elections 2014

This is a multi-platform, multi-screen effort in partnership with newslaundry and NDTV

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | February 21, 2014

As India goes to vote to elect the 16th Lok Sabha in a few months, Facebook is launching facebook Talks Live with key 2014 national and regional leaders. This is a multi-platform, multi-screen effort in partnership with newslaundry.com and NDTV. In this FacebookTalksLive season, one can ask Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav how they will govern India and what are their priorities and agendas.

Facebook opened up questions for candidates at yesterday. Eminent journalist and Editor-in-Chief of newslaundry.com, Madhu Trehan will ask selected questions on FBtalkslive which will be telecast LIVE on India's leading

news channel NDTV and live streamed on https://talks.facebooklive.com.

On this occasion, Ankhi Das, Public Policy Director - India & South Asia, Facebook, said, “National Elections are always the biggest moment for social mobilization, civic engagement in a democracy. In 2009, the popular vote of the BJP was 78 million and that of the Congress party was 119 million. There were hardly any people using facebook at that time in India. That has now changed. Today, there are over 93 million people in India engaging actively every month on Facebook. We have always been focused on making sure that we give people the power to share, and to make the world more open and connected.”

This and the opportunity to engage actively and regularly with constituents have led campaign teams and leaders to use the medium, making facebook a core part of the political infrastructure in the country. An independent 2013 study by IRIS Knowledge Foundation found that 150 constituencies in the country would be impacted by the facebook vote.

“Social engagement is at the core of our platform. In politics and elections, it is also key to influencing voting behaviours and organizing opinion. In this election season, we are bringing facebook Talks Live with key 2014 national and regional leaders,” added Das.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com