Jaipur: In the run up to the Assembly elections on December 7, political temperatures are experiencing new highs and as a result, major parties in the state have come up with social media “warriors” to help the people on digital platforms.

The Congress is keeping in mind the role social media played in the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2004 general elections and is trying to make full use of mass communication tools.

The in charge of social media cell of the BJP in Rajasthan, Hirendra Kaushik, has said that the party has deployed one IT cell worker each at 51,000 booths, and 10-member IT teams have been constituted so far at the division level to help the people through WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Mr. Kaushik said that these “social media warriors” are spreading awareness among the electorate, especially youths and women, about the achievements of the BJP-led governments at the Central as well as at the state level.

Through the various social media platforms, the party is connected to the people in the state. Around 14.5 lakh people are connected through WhatsApp and around 6.5 lakh are said to be in touch through Facebook, he said. He added that around 35 lakh people follow Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on her Facebook page.

The Congress too is preparing its social media team to make them ready to fight in the electoral war.

The media in charge of the Congress in Rajasthan Archana Sharma said that the social media cell of the party was put into inactive state in the last assembly election and for this time, they have taken many steps to help out the people on digital platforms by considering the role the mass medium has played in the elections held recently in other states.

She said that for the party to be in connection with the people, social media is an effective medium and its usage has increased after 2013.

She alleged that the BJP used the social media platforms to spread negativity against the Congress party and its leadership and added that her party will use it in a very positive manner.

The AAP too has appointed social media managers for their representative candidates keeping in view that this is the first elections they are contesting in Rajasthan.

According to Devendra Dev, the social media in-charge of the AAP, the party has already appointed a social media manager for each candidate to enable sharing of activities on social media.

Along with that, a helpline through WhatsApp has also been started on which suggestion for the election manifesto of the party would be sought.

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