KOCHI: It usually begins with a ‘good morning’ message. In no time, however, posters and videos of political diatribes inundate her WhatsApp family group chatbox.
Seventy-eight-year-old Rajalakshmi K (name changed) meticulously thumbs through the messages until one catches her eye and stirs her emotions. Then, she proceeds to discuss the state of the nation with her husband. Well, gone are the days when homemakers shied away from politics and governance.
Today, across India, thousands of citizens, including women like Rajalakshmi, actively consume news, opinions, and memes that shape the political narrative via their mobile phones.
And social media has, no doubt, become a battleground where political parties invest significant resources to influence the minds of the populace.
S Jayashankar, the convener of the high-tech campaign committee of the BJP, emphasised the significant role of social media in shaping narratives during election campaigns. “In Kerala, mobile penetration is high, and many people possess two phones,” he said.
“People across age groups consume news and content of interest through platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. The BJP has a dedicated team for social media, comprising party members with professional expertise in the domain.”
Jayashankar added that the BJP was at the forefront of utilising social media for election purposes, and the campaign team’s maturity has increased with numerous outings. “There is a research team that brings out details of central funds deployed in projects, and we try to localise the messages to reach a larger audience,” he explained.
“We even use AI, and have teams in all 20 constituencies. A common thread in the campaign, directed centrally from the top, is ‘Modi’s guarantee’. We use only positive development themes, and avoid negative messages or disparaging opposition candidates.”
Noting the BJP’s upper-hand, M Liju, a member of the KPCC’s Political Affairs Committee and head of the state-level war room at Indira Bhavan, alleged that the online arena was not a level playing field, with resources being scarce for the Congress. The party focused more on grassroots connections, he added.
Liju, however, emphasised the significance of social media campaigns in reaching a wider audience. “It helps spread political messages among older women and youngsters.
Some parties deploy troll armies to disseminate negative messages,” he added.
He also explained that the Congress had a decentralised digital media team spanning over 2,000 mandalams and 25,000 booths. “Several professionals have volunteered for ‘Mission 2024’. Our team includes individuals from diverse backgrounds, including women and youngsters. We have taken an ethical decision not to propagate negative messages and have a legal team to address offensive messages from other parties,” Liju added.
A senior Congress candidate mentioned that the social media campaign entailed a collaboration between the candidates and the activities initiated in Indira Bhavan. Leaders and volunteers explained that several programmes were being filmed and edited at the studio, and expressed optimism that the social media campaign would be further enhanced in the coming days.
The CPM, meanwhile, depends on its cadre base for the dissemination of messages, all the while researching and creating content in a centralised setup. “About 20% of the voters in this election are new voters, and nearly 90% of them use smartphones to consume news primarily through social media,” said K S Arun Kumar, a member of the Ernakulam CPM district committee.
“About 6-8% apolitical citizens hold significant sway over the outcome. Reaching out to them is crucial. We have dedicated party members handling social media campaigns. In each district, a district secretariat member oversees operations, managed by a CPM district committee member. At the AKG Centre, there’s a centralised setup for video production and dissemination. All posts are scrutinised. Thomas Isaac is in charge of our social media propaganda in the state.”
Arun, who is in charge of the CPM social media team in Ernakulam, asserted the importance of reaching out to independent voters and the need to circulate messages beyond the cadre circles. He added that content circulated during election times should be sensitive and focused on development works.
Arun noted that social media influencers were also in the ring, trying to make a quick buck by promising wider dissemination for a price. Then there are candidates with enough resources to employ professional agencies with a whole army of experts.
Know Your Booth
Find your polling booth in a click for the upcoming general election on April 26
Visit https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in/
Enter EPIC number, State, and captcha to find your polling booth
Voters details -- assembly constituency, polling station, etc., can be viewed
Information regarding polling booths can be accessed through the Voter HelpLine app as well
Seats no more
Adoor Lok Sabha constituency, reserved for SC, was formed in 1967. It was dissolved in 2008. Dissolved in 2008. Now some of its parts are in Mavelikkara, some in Kollam and Pathanamthitta. Senior Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh was elected from the seat for four terms.
Varkala Radhakrishnan (CPM) was the last representative of Chirayinkeezhu, now within Attingal constituency. A A Rahim, who was elected from the constituency, had served as a minister of state under Indira Gandhi.
(Segments: Kazhakkuttam, Nedumangad, Ariyanad, Vamanapuram, Killimanoor, Attingal, Varkala).
After Manjeri’s formation in 1957, the CPM’s T K Hamza became the first non-IUML MP to win from the seat in 2004. The constituency was reconstituted as Malappuram in 2008.
A traditional Congress bastion, Mukundapuram, established in 1957, was renamed Chalakudy in 2009. Congress stalwarts like Panampally Govinda Menon and K Karunakaran were elected from here. In its over five-decade tenure, the constituency elected Communist leaders only thrice. Lonappan Nambadan (CPM) served as its final MP, defeating Padmaja Venugopal (who joined BJP recently) with a margin of 1,17,097, collecting 51.89% of the total polled votes.
Muvattupuzha was the only constituency in the state that elected a BJP-backed candidate to the Lok Sabha. P C Thomas, who had won the seat as a Kerala Congress (Mani) candidate five times, from 1989 to 1999, switched sides, and on the IFDP banner, won in 2004.
Ottapalam was renamed Alathur in 2009. Former President K R Narayanan had won from Ottappalam thrice — 1984, ‘89 and ‘91.
(Assembly segments: Kunnamkulam, Wadakkanchery, Chelakkara, Coyalmannam, Ottapalam, Pattambi, Thrithala.)
Legendary writer S K Pottekkatt had won the 1962 Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate from Thalassery. The last MP for the consti-tuency in 1971, C K Chandrappan became the first MP for the newly established Kannur constituency.
Thiruvalla, defunct after 1967, merged with Mavelikkara. Only two duels took place here — in 1957 and 1962. CPI and INC won one each.
Peermade, active from 1967 to 1977, transformed into Idukki, with M M Joseph (Kerala Congress) as its representative.
In the 20 years of Ambalapuzha constituency history until 1977, it has never witnessed an INC candidate’s victory. K Balakrishnan Revolutionary Socialist Party) was elected from here in 1971.
Green Protocol
Green protocol to be followed strictly by the campaigners and election officials
Campaign materials — flex boards, plastic flagpoles, polyester cloth and similar polluting substances should be strictly avoided
Instead, use boards and banners made of cotton, cloth and paper
Natural materials — palm leaves, reeds, bamboo and areca nut leaves should be used for decorations
Strict legal actions will be taken if prohibited materials are found to be used
It is suggested to explore the possibilities of digital technology to reduce the use of non-degradable campaign materials
Flower garlands, cotton shawls, books, and fruit baskets be given as gifts at receptions to candidates
Strict ban on plastic materials while setting up polling booths
Eco-friendly plates and glasses should be kept at polling stations
Local bodies, political parties, Haritha Keralam Mission, Suchitwa Mission should remove the materials used for election campaigns and carry out cleaning activities after the election
