Please hold the line, your vote is important to us. This could be the message you get to hear once you call the call centre which is being run by the Congress in Karnataka.

Dial 080-32449763 or 974142360 and get connected to the call centre of the Congress party.

State Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee President, Krishna Byre Gowda told rediff.com that this is the first such concept in the country and they expect a huge response.

The role of the call centre -- based in Sheshadripuram in Bangalore -- is vast. The 24-hour centre, which has four people working in shifts, will delve information regarding the agenda of the party and also about its leaders. One could call up the centre and seek information about where Congress leaders are touring, their future programme and election schedule.

Gowda also said that the centre will also help people interested in joining the party. It is being felt that several persons, especially the youth who are interested in joining the party, find it difficult as they are not aware of the procedures.

"The call centre will simplify this process," he said.

Apart from the concept of a call centre, the Congress in Karnataka has also started an SMS campaign. They would pick numbers at random and inform the public through SMS regarding the programmes of the party.

According to party sources, the Congress was being viewed as an old man's party. There was a shift towards the BJP especially among the youth as they found the party more tech-savvy and youth friendly. Through these programmes, the Congress feels, that it could attract the youth who are becoming more of a net savvy crowd.

The call centre will officially be opened on Saturday, if all goes well, say party workers.  

 They also say that they would expect at least 300 calls a day.

In case the call flow increases, which is likely to happen when the elections are nearing, the party says that it would even consider increasing the staff strength at the call centre from four to even 10.