Delhi elections 2015: Online poll campaign in overdrive

NEW DELHI: It is election season yet again, and the social media machine of top political parties has gone into overdrive. Kiran Bedi and Shazia Ilmi's recent induction into BJP was suitable fodder. Old tweets were dug out and older videos circulated where they claimed radically different allegiances. With the Kejriwal-Bedi non-debate finding resonance online, social media has grown bigger this election.

No wonder, all parties have worked out their online strategies. AAP has added gaming and radio apps to its arsenal. Congress has a blog in the works with 18 "shadow handles" on Twitter keeping a watch on ministries and developments. BJP is using WhatsApp to coordinate volunteers, with a core team of 20 handling online responsibilities. Both BJP and Congress say they're listening into conversations around big political developments to track public opinion.

Social media was part of the menu in the 2013 Delhi assembly elections too. AAP used it as its chief outreach tool. By the 2014 LS polls, BJP emerged as a winner on social media with an increased push by Narendra Modi, and the sheer number of online volunteers posting and commenting in sync, particularly during big rallies, pushing their hashtags onto Twitter's top trends, daily. Other parties joined the fray. Though much of the medium's novelty has worn off, its sheer reach ensures nobody can ignore it.

"This time you'll see a dramatically different Congress online. Congress is now aware of social media's possibilities, which we underestimated in 2013. It impacts a strong urban middle-class constituency," says party spokesperson Sanjay Jha. "Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Priyanka Chaturvedi are tweeting a lot more actively-Singhvi tweets in Hindi and English. Ajay Maken recently tweeted his assent to a debate with Arvind Kejriwal. We'll have a blog on the INC website, which will continue even after the elections. We're likely to bring spoofs and satire into the mix through YouTube videos," adds Jha.

On New Year's Eve, AAP came out with its Muffler Man gaming app which was released on Android. It has a man with a muffler and an AAP cap-a Kejriwal caricature-against the backdrop of India Gate collecting points as he bounces higher up through different platforms. They also have a radio app called Mango radio. Besides the free app, the 24x7 radio is available on radio.aamaadmiparty.org, and has audio recordings of AAP functionaries holding forth on issues and some live programming. "The radio will continue even after the elections. We'll also focus on short campaign videos," says Ankit Lal, AAP's social media head, whose team recently started the #WalkWithKejriwal tag on Twitter, exhorting people to accompany Kejriwal the day he files his nomination.

BJP politicos and elected representatives have been active on Twitter and Facebook, posting on their daily meetings or commenting on the day's developments. Modi, who has been active on digital platforms, leads by example. "It's good that other parties are realizing the importance of social media and are playing catch-up with BJP. Content is king on social media," Arvind Gupta, head of BJP's IT Cell told TOI, fittingly, in a WhatsApp interview. As for the assembly election campaign strategy, Gupta says: "Social media has online volunteers and is also being used to enrol and coordinate with on-ground volunteers."