A late entrant, Congress makes most of social media now

NEW DELHI: When the real estate regulatory bill was referred to the Rajya Sabha select committee, #RGwithHomeBuyers started trending on Twitter.

As soon as the fuel price hike was announced, the social networking site was abuzz with happy #JumlaDiwas to #Gappu bhakts messages.

A late entrant in the social media circuit, the Congress is now overzealously using the platform to gain traction with the youth -- whether it is tracking the Prime Minister on his numerous overseas trips or minutely examining the working of crucial government ministries, the party has employed a meticulous policy of tackling the Narendra Modi government on Twitter and Facebook.

What might appear to be Congress voters penning random thoughts is actually a strategy designed and monitored closely by the party.

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party may boast of 2,000 dedicated workers keeping a hawk’s eye on Twitter and Facebook, the Congress is working with only 10-12 volunteers from varied backgrounds – architecture, journalism and management. The day begins by devouring the newspapers and websites to prepare a brief list of potential trending topics.

The list is flagged to communications department in-charge Randeep Surjewala and Congress MP Deepender Hooda, the man handling the social media initiative of the Congress. After getting the goahead, the hashtags start. So be it #GappuInChina or #JumlaDiwas, the volunteers vociferously push their opinions. In the middle of the day, there is a stock-taking exercise and the volunteers group together on WhatsApp to see where to take the discourse.