CAMPAIGNING GOES VIRTUAL

Is electioneering in India set to go all virtual in the time of the pandemic? Well, all eyes are on Bihar, which goes to the polls in October-November, and where a physical campaign seems an impossibility, at least for the next few months. Standard poll practices like gathering crowds for rallies, door-to-door campaigning or even a street corner meeting will be a challenge now, given the new physical distancing norms. Alive to this emerging situation, political parties have started gearing up for virtual campaigns.

The BJP, with its vast IT cell, was first off the blocks. Union home minister and BJP chief strategist