Political parties are updating their Facebook profile pages and official Twitter handles and ensuring netizens are paying close attention to them. Techie skills have never been so much in demand.
Take Sadasivam Chinnathambi, an owner of a software company. He has taken a break from his profession in Singapore to spend three months in the city and along with a tech team handles the official Facebook page for BJP in Tamil Nadu. V4Modi offers details of the BJP’s election manifesto and information on the local candidates from Coimbatore as well.
“Smartphone have become so affordable. Everyone has Facebook and Twitter on their phones. And, the explosion of WhatsApp has helped us reach even those in the villages,” he says. Sadasivam’s day starts at eight in the morning and finishes at midnight. There is a team of 10 that handles the social media team in Chennai. “Within 24 hours after we updated profile information on Vanathi Srinivasan (candidate from Coimbatore), the post reached four lakh people and around 1,250 people commented!”
The AIADMK has an information technology wing for its social media campaigning. Party members constantly update the space on their five-year plans and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s electoral promises. “We will update photos of our election rallies every day,” says K.K. Sakthivel, who is the district secretary of the IT wing of Coimbatore. “Our target is the young group between 18 and 35, made up of corporates and IT professionals. They do not have the time to attend our rallies during their working hours.”
Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi recently posted updates about their alliance with the BJP, which received a major response on Facebook. “We got an instant reaction. People congratulated us. We have volunteers, completely dedicated to updating our Facebook pages,” says G.K. Nagaraj, the party founder.
Nagaraj also has an active personal Facebook page with more than 5,000 followers. “We use WhatsApp and Facebook to inform the public about our clean-up campaigns near rivers.” Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi posts its updates in Tamil, as it stands for the promotion of the mother tongue.
Using the vernacular has a better reach, Nagaraj says. “Social media facilitates instant interaction between the voter and the party members. It is like you are directly talking to people.”
While DMK has not developed a consolidated Facebook page exclusively for the Coimbatore chapter of election campaigning yet, they have pages dedicated for Kalaignar Karunanidhi and MK Stalin, where you can find all the election excitement.
And, the candidates have a personal Facebook page, where they update about the rallies and manifestoes. It is cheap and effective, says Ramesh Kumar, a volunteer who helps out N. Karthik, a DMK candidate from Singanallur with his social media campaigning. “The Election Commission has put a cap on campaigning cost. And, the cost for social media promotion is negligible. So, it is economical.”
Karthik has a group of friends to help him out. He says the media must be welcomed with open arms. “A single WhatsApp message or a Facebook post is enough to make hundreds turn up for my rallies. That includes the press too. It is the best propaganda technique.”
Political parties take to social media for its enormous reach.
Take Sadasivam Chinnathambi, an owner of a software company. He has taken a break from his profession in Singapore to spend three months in the city and along with a tech team handles the official Facebook page for BJP in Tamil Nadu. V4Modi offers details of the BJP’s election manifesto and information on the local candidates from Coimbatore as well.
“Smartphone have become so affordable. Everyone has Facebook and Twitter on their phones. And, the explosion of WhatsApp has helped us reach even those in the villages,” he says. Sadasivam’s day starts at eight in the morning and finishes at midnight. There is a team of 10 that handles the social media team in Chennai. “Within 24 hours after we updated profile information on Vanathi Srinivasan (candidate from Coimbatore), the post reached four lakh people and around 1,250 people commented!”
The AIADMK has an information technology wing for its social media campaigning. Party members constantly update the space on their five-year plans and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s electoral promises. “We will update photos of our election rallies every day,” says K.K. Sakthivel, who is the district secretary of the IT wing of Coimbatore. “Our target is the young group between 18 and 35, made up of corporates and IT professionals. They do not have the time to attend our rallies during their working hours.”
Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi recently posted updates about their alliance with the BJP, which received a major response on Facebook. “We got an instant reaction. People congratulated us. We have volunteers, completely dedicated to updating our Facebook pages,” says G.K. Nagaraj, the party founder.
Nagaraj also has an active personal Facebook page with more than 5,000 followers. “We use WhatsApp and Facebook to inform the public about our clean-up campaigns near rivers.” Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi posts its updates in Tamil, as it stands for the promotion of the mother tongue.
Using the vernacular has a better reach, Nagaraj says. “Social media facilitates instant interaction between the voter and the party members. It is like you are directly talking to people.”
While DMK has not developed a consolidated Facebook page exclusively for the Coimbatore chapter of election campaigning yet, they have pages dedicated for Kalaignar Karunanidhi and MK Stalin, where you can find all the election excitement.
And, the candidates have a personal Facebook page, where they update about the rallies and manifestoes. It is cheap and effective, says Ramesh Kumar, a volunteer who helps out N. Karthik, a DMK candidate from Singanallur with his social media campaigning. “The Election Commission has put a cap on campaigning cost. And, the cost for social media promotion is negligible. So, it is economical.”
Karthik has a group of friends to help him out. He says the media must be welcomed with open arms. “A single WhatsApp message or a Facebook post is enough to make hundreds turn up for my rallies. That includes the press too. It is the best propaganda technique.”
Political parties take to social media for its enormous reach.