This week as online followers of Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi engaged in a war of Twitter hashtags, the Congress and the BJP met India's leading social media marketing agencies, a sign that mainstream political parties seem to be waking up to the potential of these digital platforms ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections. But despite the growing numbers of social media users - 60 million and counting - can Facebook and Twitter have a significant impact on Indian elections? Are our political parties even willing to embrace the inclusive nature of these platforms, or simply treat them as a vehicle for self-promotion and point scoring?
