Mayawati's birthday has given the BSP the perfect opportunity to escalate its social media blitz
Highlights
- The BSP chief is embracing digital ahead of the polls in Uttar Pradesh
- Mayawati has preferred traditional ways of reaching out to her supporters
- Mayawati plans to address over 50 rallies in the coming weeks
Former Chief Minister Mayawati, who once kept a safe distance from social media insisting that her main voters are not online, is embracing digital ahead of the February-March polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Her birthday on January 15 (Sunday) has given the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) the perfect opportunity to escalate its social media blitz to keep up with rivals Akhilesh Yadav and the BJP.
Over the next few days, the BSP will launch a string of videos and posters on Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms with the catchphrase - 'Behenji Ko Aane Do (Return Mayawati to power).
Mayawati plans to address over 50 rallies in the coming weeks.
The campaign on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and YouTube will be a new add-on for the 60-year-old who has always preferred more traditional ways of reaching out to her supporters, say party leaders.
The BSP, which contests under the "elephant" symbol, has active Twitter and Facebook accounts but they are not very popular. Its Twitter handle has about 10,000 followers - a fraction of what Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav (3.1 million) have racked up over the years.
BSP will launch string of videos, posters on online platforms with the catchphrase - 'Behenji Ko Aane Do'
It will take some work to close the gap; the BJP and Samajwadi Party have a head-start.
The BJP has a full-fledged war room at its Lucknow office - with a call centre, social media room and the works. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party is immensely popular both on Facebook and Twitter - where his dominant theme is 'Kaam bolta hai (action speaks).'
"We are aware that our social media units are not as strong as the opposition. But now even our chief (Mayawati) realises that robust social media campaigns are essential to any party's campaign in this day and age," a BSP leader involved in the campaign told NDTV.
"UP has lakhs of young voters and we need to target that segment with innovative campaigns," the leader stressed.
In a party meeting in December, Mayawati had handed out booklets and CDs to be distributed across the state, another change in her style of functioning. The 4-time UP Chief Minister has reportedly questioned the use of social media multiple times in the past, arguing that her voters - the most backward - are not the sort who will be influenced by online campaigns. This election - this mindset seems to be changing.