In an effort to empower, engage and inform voters before they cast their ballots in the upcoming Legislative Assembly Elections, micro-blogging platform – Koo – has announced a slew of hyperlocal initiatives across multiple Indian languages. As the largest platform which enables online expression in Indian languages, the Koo App will undertake innovative feature enhancements and awareness campaigns to enhance voter confidence in the electoral process, and guide voters to make an informed decision while exercising their franchise.
Koo will launch a dedicated section on the platform for live updates, news about candidates and parties and constituency-level announcements, which will be available in Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, etc., for the benefit of voters from poll-bound states. In addition, Koo will offer Chat Rooms in native languages to facilitate healthy discussions and debates on election-related topics in real-time. The Live feature on the platform will allow users to create sessions, invite their communities to participate and capture events live through the interface.
In an effort to build greater trust and public awareness in the election process, the Koo App will roll out informational campaigns in Indian languages to educate voters on their rights and responsibilities. As part of the campaign, Koo will also conduct quizzes on themes like voter registration, downloading of the EPIC card, etc. to provide an engaging experience to users. Furthermore, celebrities and influencers on the platform will be volunteering in voter awareness campaigns. A platform committed to the spirit of free and fair polls, Koo will help to accelerate voter enrollment through its dedicated ‘Election Volunteers’ – assigned with registering voters in each constituency.
The platform has already adopted the ‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’ by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which aspires to the transparent use of social media during elections. Moreover, to identify and curb hateful content, the Koo App has in place a robust mechanism to effectively manage feedback coming onto the platform.
Said Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-founder & CEO, Koo, “As a multi-language platform which democratizes the voice of Indians, the Koo App’s special features will provide users with a real-time experience around the elections – in their mother tongue – and enable them to engage with like-minded people on poll-related topics. Our awareness campaigns in local languages will help enrich voter knowledge, bring in the element of trust and enable people to make informed decisions. As an unbiased, open and reliable platform, we will follow the guidelines set by the Election Commission of India to ensure that the Koo App is leveraged in an optimal manner to bring about a positive and progressive change in society.â€
About Koo
The Koo App was launched in March 2020 as a multi-lingual, micro-blogging platform to enable Indians to express themselves online in their mother tongue. The Koo App’s smart features are currently available in 10 languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English. In India, where not more than 10% of people converse in English, the Koo App democratizes the voice of Indians by empowering them to share thoughts and express freely in a language of their choice. Among its innovative features, the platform’s translation feature enables the real-time translation of a post across the slew of Indian languages, while retaining the sentiment and context of the original text. This enhances reach and garners greater traction for a user. The Koo App has 20 million downloads and is actively leveraged by people of eminence across politics, sports, media, entertainment, spirituality, and art & culture to connect with their target audience in their native language.
