Manypolitical parties contesting the 2009 Lok Sabha elections are fully tapping thepower of the Internet to reach out to a wider range of voters. Politicalparties are unveiling new websites or giving new look to the existing ones andmany politicians even accessing Internet users with blogs.

Bhartiya Janata Party had launched a web campaign "Advani for PM"recently, spread over 2,000 websites worldwide. The Congress has also launcheda revamped website showcasing the party's achievements in the service of thepoor over the past five years in government.

The websites have portals on which net-users can post their thoughts, read thecandidate's messages and give names and addresses of their friends and familyto the party's data-base for future reference

In a bid to reach out to a large section of voters,two of the main political parties - Congress and BJP, are using technologies,AdWords and AdSense, with accessibility to more than 30,000 websites and blogs.

"National parties like BJP and Congress as well as a few regional partiesare using Google's advertising platform," says Jayakumar. "Apart fromads on Google's search engine, their text advertisements, image ads, andbanners also appear alongside content on the Google network connected to thechosen themes and more through AdSense and on the popular social networkingsite-Orkut," says Jayakumar.

"Of the total Rs, 10,000 crore expenditure onthis Lok Sabha poll, the spending on Internet campaigning should not be morethan Rs 100 crores. But due to cheaper, quicker, easily availability and hugepresence of eligible voters, parties are hogging on to Internet," he says.