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[FEBRUARY 08, 2011]

RAVI SINGH: THE MIND BEHIND COLOMBIAN PRESIDENTS SUCCESSFUL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Ravi Singh, sitting in a yogic posture @ Raisina Hills, New Delhi It was peak election time in Colombia. Presidential candidates were busy wooing the voters. President Juan Manuel Santos was trailing in opinion polls. Things were looking dicey! During that time, arrived someone on a secret mission to Colombia, working day in and day out for 50 days, designing the digital election campaign of Santos from a hidden office located in northern Bogota with the name, The Bunker. This is a tale of Ravi Singh, an Indian American, owner of electionmall.com, worlds largest digital campaign & election company. He calls himself Guru of Electronic Democracy. He is also author of a best seller Leadership by Turban. Apart from political campaigns, he is passionate about golf, fast cars & yoga. How did you meet Santos? When asked by media, he replied It was Kismet (Destiny). He was in Medellin, Colombia to give a talk on the invitation from National Democratic Institute. There he met Roberto Prieto, brother of Santos, who informed that Santos was trailing by 14 points in opinion polls against his rival Antanas Mockus. It was sheer happenstance that he happened to be in Colombia during the election time. He met Santos, who offered him to become his electronic campaign manager, which he happily accepted, and the rest is history. He was one of the special invitees for the swearing in ceremony of President Santos. ( You Tube video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDyRbjblwtw )

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[FEBRUARY 08, 2011]

Ravi Singh with President Santos & the first lady on the night of election results in Colombia. In his interviews to Jetset.com.co and C , he disclosed part!, of his election strategy. Always have a plan, not be reactive, but proactive on Internet. Always listen to what people are saying on the internet rather than saying what one wants them to hear. A candidate must have the appropriate tools to gather information; otherwise it is a waste of time. Always build a relationship with voters, not just asking them to support. Election campaign is 80 percent listening and 20 percent speaking. Many politicians talk a lot and listen less, which turns out to be the fatal mistake. Always treat voters with respect, and they will vote for you. Specifically for the campaign of Santos he worked on removing all the Bad Karma, or the negative things in the campaign, although many people thought this would not help. He created El muro de la vergenza ( The Wall of Shame) on the official website of Juan Manuel Santos, to counter against foul play against him. His mantra, always tell the truth, the rest is Political Karma.

Regarding digital campaigns, Ravi Singh feels its a matter of time that political parties will be using, more and more internet to reach the voters. He thinks that Internet can help change the lives of many countries, and the digital revolution in Colombia has already begun, and will not stop. Future elections will be won or lost in Cyber-World.

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[FEBRUARY 08, 2011]

Its a fascinating story of a person who believes in Kismet (Destiny), Karma (Actions) & Truth, the traditional Indian values. He used latest American technology to design an election campaign for a Latin American President, who surged from behind, to win a presidential election with a clear margin. Ravi Singh is one of the many symbols of ever-increasing interaction and collaboration between Latin America & India.