Hyderabad: Social media might not be a game-changer in the upcoming elections, as is widely believed. Many parties that have a good presence on social networking sites are not seen as front runners in the opinion polls that are being conducted in the run-up to the elections.Most opinion polls predict that the Telugu Desam will eclipse the YSR Congress, but the latter has had a higher social media footprint, though they are neck and neck now.
On the national level, the Aam Aadmi Party has an expansive presence on social networking sites but may win very few seats, according to most opinion polls.
Several social media surveys over the past few months have shown the AAP, BJP and Congress to have the heaviest social media presence.
YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy figures prominently on social media sites. However, a majority of opinion polls predict his party will be the runner-up in the elections in residuary AP.
“Within a short span of 10 months, the party’s official Facebook page has crossed the 3 lakh mark and counting, which shows the popularity of the YSRC,” the party had said in a release last month. Till about a few days ago, YSR Congress had the highest following on Facebook.
In Telangana, both the main parties in the fray, the TRS and Congress, don’t have a sizeable social media presence. Krishank Manne, the 25-year-old spokesperson for the TPCC, said, “It is a very important medium, no doubt, but people who are voicing their concerns and asking questions on social media have to come out and vote. We are not very optimistic that they will, but we are certainly hopeful.”
According to a widely cited report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), social media will have a high impact on 11 parliamentary constituencies in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is one of them and it had a 52.48 per cent voter turnout in the last elections. This was the lowest turnout in a Parliamentary constituency in the state.
On the national level, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party have had a very high presence and popularity, though some of it is negative. The AAP is a sensation on social media but is tipped to win very few seats.
Prof Kausar J. Azam, political scientist and Professor Emeritus, Osmania University Centre for International Programmes, said, “I doubt the ability of social media to play a deciding factor. Its reach is very limited and you never know if a politician’s popularity online is real or manipulated.”
Social networking giant Facebook recently said it is working on weeding out fake ‘Likes’ on its site. Facebook’s Election Tracker has AAP and Arvind Kejriwal as one of the leading candidates.
