Congress Reshapes Social Media Strategy To Take On Opposition

Hyderabad: Towards countering ‘misinformation’ on social media and highlighting government achievements, the ruling Congress leadership is reshaping its strategies. Following a recent revamp, the party aims to take on the Opposition, particularly the BRS, and is making social media activism mandatory for leaders from mandal to state level.

Newly appointed TPCC Social Media chairman Naveen Pettem said the entire social media team is being rebuilt. “Mandal coordinators are being appointed for 670 mandals across the state by this month‑end. They will be trained on Twitter accounts initially and later at Assembly and district level. Simultaneously, social media accounts of most leaders are being activated. Regular training is being conducted virtually on Zoom,” he told DC.

Activism of about 2,000 leaders, including DCC presidents, PCC functionaries, mandal presidents, constituency in‑charges and observers, will be closely monitored through weekly reports generated by the party’s social media handlers. A day‑long orientation camp is also being planned. “Even if these 2,000 leaders reshare or repost short videos of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, they can reach the party cadre at booth level. We have collected data from Sangatan Srujan Abhiyan and created a channel with these leaders. Each week a report will be generated about their online interactions with party posts,” said a senior leader.

With the ongoing SIR in the state, the party has decided to utilise the network of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to defend itself on social media. Over 35,000 BLAs are now equipped with smartphones and other gadgets. “Since most of them are tech‑savvy, even if half remain actively involved till the Assembly polls, sitting Congress MLAs can safeguard their positions. Each MLA or constituency in‑charge needs to handle an average of 250 BLAs to secure their position,” party sources said.

Previously, communication was limited to WhatsApp groups, Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). But with Gen‑Z activism and increasing youth connectivity, the party is focusing on Snapchat and Instagram. While content writers are available, insiders admit dissemination remains a challenge requiring proper engagement.

Congress leaders observed that while in Opposition the party was active and campaigned strongly against the BRS government, after coming to power many now hold positions at different levels and social media posts have largely focused on self‑promotion rather than defending the party.

As part of the renewed strategy, it is being made mandatory that top leaders, besides promoting themselves, remain “inclusive to the system” to retain grip on their constituencies. The party believes that unless misinformation from the Opposition is countered, the system cannot be channelised properly. State leadership is also taking cues from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who recently trained not only party members but also officials in social media use.