The ongoing pandemic situation has thrown political parties in Uttar Pradesh into unchartered territory with virtual campaigning.
Even though the Election Commission has assured that it would review the pandemic situation later this week, the increasing Covid cases indicate that the situation is unlikely to ease soon. When it comes to virtual campaigning, most parties - though they may not admit it -- are, undoubtedly, wary of this new form of electioneering.
Amid the third wave of the pandemic, political parties are in an intense race to reach out to voters through social media campaigns. BJP has a definite edge in the situation. In fact, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also urged the Election Commission (EC) to release funds for virtual campaigning to political parties that do not have the “digital infrastructure to compete with the BJP”.
Here's why BJP has the edge over other parties in virtual campaigning
- BJP has been focussing on social media for the past few years and almost all their leaders are tech-savvy.
- The BJP plans to use 3D Studio Mix technology through which leaders sitting at two different places can be shown on a podium.
- The party already has more than 1.5 lakh booth level WhatsApp groups in the state.
- The party has already set up war rooms for campaigns at the local level and its teams are connecting with voters through social media platforms.
The Samajwadi Party is also planning virtual rallies to reach out to voters. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also decided to connect with people digitally. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is comparatively lagging in the virtual campaign and the party apparently does not have a dedicated team to take care of the social media.
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