Problem faced by the client
We were approached by the President of a Regional Political Party. They were facing a lot of losses in elections in the recent past. Though their performance and vote share were declining for the past 8 years, “This time we got a big blow” they said.
Identifying Root Cause
We started research and prima facie it was a classic case of disconnect from the ground. A strong legacy and a history of consistent wins had made them ignore the core ideology on which the party was built. The party had a rich history of promoting democracy (even within its own party). It had now let go of many of its core principles. It had not conducted internal elections for more than 11 years. Not being dynamic in adapting to voters’ requirements had cost them dearly. Manifesto was not majorly modified for more than 2 terms and candidate selection was not at all based on public opinion and performance. Instead they relied on old members who had become highly inefficient to even contest an election let alone winning it.
Solutions Proposed
In the extensive report we handed over to the client, we detailed all steps which needed to be taken to ensure a successful turnaround and ensure such mistakes are avoided by design.
Some of the recommendations we made :
– Conduct an internal election immediately to elect the party leadership. Ensure a minimum of 85 percent of the party members vote in it.
– Understanding the problems faced by the common man by conducting a survey and through social media.
– Make changes to party manifesto according to the survey results. Conduct an annual survey to keep the document and the party objectives aligned with the people’s needs.
– Choose candidates as per local support and social service history. A clean track record must be made mandatory. All those contesting 2nd term need to show evidence of significant outperformance in their constituency.
– Form a social media connect team to regularly update all public interactions and party opinions for people to build a strong connect with the core ideology
– Increase public interactions so that candidates are in sync with the people’s opinions
– Internal party meetings are very important to address various opinions and build a firm stand on what the party’s view is. This should be echoed by all members.
– The party should double down its effort on all those candidates who have won the elections and are in term presently. They should be made exemplary for other constituency voters and candidates.
– More than the candidate speaking of himself, the work he has done should reflect his worthiness, only then will the voter be convinced.
– A few people who are in top positions, responsible for the inefficient functioning need to be removed permanently. Making a clear statement of transformation goes a long way in building trust.
– An in-house think tank needs to be formed to formulate policies proactively to prevent public grievances from ever getting out of hand. Nip the problem in the bud.
– We should be very careful in formulating our opinions. Care should be taken as to whether it is fair, practical and legal when deciding on the same.
Outcome
The party increased its vote share from 18 percent to 31 percent in the elections. It is hoping to improve its performance in upcoming elections too. Public support has increased and the voter satisfaction rates have jumped. Social media connect has grown 21X and average viewership increased from 1.5 million to 15.6 million. The complete impact is yet to be seen.
