The politician that brought the world 3-D hologram campaigning has set out to break the Internet with his latest innovation, Modi selfies for the masses. Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party launched its “Selfie with Modi†campaign to reach out to tech-savvy voters in Delhi as the state gears up for local elections this week. The BJP says it has already collected more than 70,000 pictures of people across the capital posed with the prime minister. While the leader of the world’s largest democracy is known to put in long hours and even indulge in a photo op or two, he is not spending his day with a selfie stick. The pics are the product of a special smartphone app. The BJP has set up more than 1,000 selfie booths in shopping malls and parking lots across Delhi. The capital’s 70 constituencies will go to the polls on February 7. People interested in getting the prime minister’s face on their Facebook profiles have been lining up by the hundreds. A party worker takes a photo with a cellphone and Mr. Modi’s image magically appears in the shot. The subjects of the selfies can then get their photos by email or download them from a party website. “Everybody wants to meet Mr. Modi, but because of protocol, everybody can’t,†said Mr. Raj Kumar Sharma, a member of the executive committee of the BJP’s Delhi wing who manages information technology for the party. Mr. Sharma said the campaign gives people the feeling that “they are with Mr. Modi.†The BJP says the selfie campaign is proving so popular that it may continue even after the elections are over. Voting is Saturday. Results are due on Feb. 10.
