MUMBAI: As the country and its citizens lie on the brink of another landmark general election, capturing the mood and pulse of the nation is the need of the hour. Moneycontrol, India’s leading financial and business digital platform, has over the years, disseminated comprehensive and authentic information, news and in-depth analysis from areas spanning the length and breadth of the country. With the eyes of the nation firmly on what insight the media has to offer in build-up to the upcoming elections, Moneycontrol, through yet another innovative offering, sent two of its correspondents across the country. While one correspondent made the journey from north-south on the Himsagar Express from Trivandrum to Jammu Tawi, the west-east journey from Mumbai to Guwahati was covered by another reporter on the Guwahati Express.
This initiative was conceptualized taking into account that the very foundation of news coverage begins by ‘Reporting from Ground Zero’. Through a collection of videos and stories based on the experiences and the voter’s mood, the platform will help citizens around the country gain insight into the rural regions of India and understand what they believe are the key issues ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. Be it an investment or voting for a government, Moneycontrol, via this initiative, once again ensures that the citizen of the nation make an informed decision.
During the journey, the correspondents interacted with the travellers to gather their honest opinions, thoughts and anecdotes pertaining to the upcoming elections. The on-ground activity established a strong connect with the audience, while also bringing real opinions from the grassroots level to everyone across the nation. The first-hand view of challenges, struggles and needs of people from different towns of the country, intends to equip voters with invaluable and insightful information, which is otherwise not easily accessible.
With more than 50 conversations taking place on the 72-hour journey on the Himsagar Express, the passengers spoke at length around primary issues that included the Balakot air strikes, unemployment, Brand Modi and regional concerns. Discussions on the Guwahati Express, which spanned a 53-hour journey, involved more than 70 people sharing their views on the expectations of the youth and first-time voters, effect of demonetization and GST on small and medium businesses as well as Balakot air strikes. With the Citizenship Amendment Bill being in the news ahead of the elections, it was no surprise to see passengers from the North Eastern belt of the country being extremely vocal about this topic. The interviewees were people from varied backgrounds that included a monk who had predicted the entry of EVMs in 1982, a government teacher, a retired PSU employee, businessmen and a few men from the Indian Army.
Commenting on the pre-election activity, Gautam Shelar, Moneycontrol - Business Head said, “Moneycontrol Express as an on-ground activity for pre-election coverage was all about establishing a stronger connect with our audience across regions. At the same time, it was also to highlight and bring forward the opinions of the public directly; to give the audience a better grip on the national sentiment close to the elections. The engaging activity was consciously structured to deliver a comprehensive experience for those onboard the journey, as well as our audience consuming the information.”
The two intriguing journeys have been captured in a compelling video which will be available on moneycontrol.com, to give the audience a first-hand experience of connecting with the citizens across the length and breadth of the country and take stock of the real issues faced by their fellow Indians.
