Himachal This Week Team (cover story)
BJP’s Aggressive Campaign
Sunil Sharma
* Social media BJP’s biggest tool in assembly elections
* 7479 booth conveners appointed
* Same system in 17 organisational districts, 73 mandals
* 15 Persons in IT executive
* 5 Member committee for maintaining credibility
‘Most Effective Mean Of Communication’
Himachal This Week talked to those handling social media cells of the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party to know their opinion about authenticity of posts on social media: Following are the excerpts:
HTW: Overall contribution in managing social media and party’s campaign on social media?
Gokul Butail: Till 2012 elections, I was associated with party’s social media. When I came back to India, I was appointed IT Adviser to CM in 2015. Working with the government, I was unable to give time to party’s social media campaigns.
HTW: Response from people active on social media?
Gokul Butail: Response of people in social media is quite good. Notably, the demand for transition of contract period for employees from five years to three years was continuously pouring through social media.
HTW: How many people handle party’s official social media sites?
Gokul Butail: Pradesh Congress Committee has appointed a social media convener for the state who handles party’s social media. As and when party wants my services, I will do the needful.
HTW: Is it easy to spread message through social media?
Gokul Butail: Social media today has become the most effective mean of communication. It is a two way communication and helps to get feedback and gauge voters interest.
HTW: How do you maintain credibility about party’s social media campaigns?
Gokul Butail: Today the opposition we are fighting with is a creation of social media to an extent. While the BJP has fleet of over a thousand hired professionals supporting their social media campaign, the Congress is struggling to make its way with the help of handful volunteers. We try to maintain credibility to give information from credible sources and don’t spread rumours unlike our opposition in social media.
-As told by Gokul Butail to Jaideep Rehan/Palampur
-Gokul Butail, Advisor (IT) to CM
‘BJP Biggest Party To Use Social Media’
The Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as the biggest party that is using social media effectively, claims BJP IT Cell head Ravi Rai Rana. A five member committee has especially been constituted under the IT Cell to check any misinformation to maintain authenticity of campaigning based on facts and figures, he adds. The party believes that social media can become the best tool to campaign if its credibility is maintained. Meanwhile handlers of BJP’s social media claim that party’s facebook viewers were 57,000 in number when national BJP president Amit Shah visited Palampur. The number has risen to 1.37 lakh since then, they claim.
-Ravi Rai Rana, IT Cell Head, BJP
Mudslinging At Rivals
Social media is also used as tool to malign political rivals. At times such posts cross all limits and defamatory words are used against each other. It has also become a medium to pose questions at performance of political adversaries. Notably, three lists reportedly of more than 50 BJP candidates have surfaced at social media even as the party has termed these as ‘fake’. Taking strong cognizance of the matter, the BJP has lodged a complaint in this regard.
Fake Lists: BJP Lodges Complaint
Peeved at posting of fake lists of candidates to contest upcoming assembly elections the BJP has lodged a complaint under IT Act demanding action against those responsible for uploading such posts on social media.
Credibility Is Biggest Factor
Credibility of posts on social media is the biggest concern for its users. Even as parties and leaders post material that is supposed to propagate their political interests yet other examples are witnessed in which an effort is made to malign political rivals and parties. There is so much information and campaign on social media that user is left to himself to decide about authenticity of such posts.