LS candidates take to social media platforms as traditional methods of canvassing take a back seat

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 4

As the poll campaign of candidates’ gains momentum, the social media platforms of several social volunteer organisations active in Amritsar are being utilised by several aspirants to amplify their manifestoes and reach out to the people.

Candidates of respective political parties are resorting to online interviews, live interactions with the people through volunteers of several non-profit and social organisations with significant outreach.

The Voice of Amritsar (VOA) has launched its poll-based activities. The organisation has started live interactions with candidates from Amritsar, who are in fray for the Lok Sabha (LS) polls.

The VOA, a non-profit volunteer network-based organisation with over 1.14 lakh members has been raising several burning local issues, including cleaning of Tung Dhab drain, sanitation, sewerage crisis and other problems faced by residents in the city. The social media platform of the VOA recently hosted a live interaction with AAP candidate for LS polls, Kuldeep Dhaliwal, who answered questions of residents while sharing his manifesto. Similarly, the next live interaction is with BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Live social media interactions gain edge over door-to-door campaigns and on ground poll trails. The reason behind popularity of social media platforms is that it gets you an instant audience and more scope to engage with voters.

“We hosted AAP’s Kuldeep Dhaliwal during a live interview, which was shared with over 20,000 viewers. Many people connected with our social media page just to ask questions from their candidate, which is otherwise not possible in a ground rally. Also, voters get an opportunity to know their candidates well through social media,” said Seenu Arora, an executive member, VOA, who was among the team of volunteers, who host online interactions.

The VOA would also be hosting candidates, including SAD’s Anil Joshi and Congress’s Gurjeet Singh Aujla before the election day. Arora shared how political leaders too were keen to take on social media lives as it meant easy access to more audience than traditional methods of canvassing.

Apart from these live interactions on Instagram and Facebook handles, individual social media handles of these candidates are also among the busiest. BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu started posting pictures and videos of his day-to-day interactions with residents of the holy city around two months ago.

From sharing pictures of sipping a cup of tea at Giani’s to enjoying a morning walk and talk with people at Company Bagh, he was among the first among his poll peers to take to the social media for engaging voters. Aujla is another candidate, who is using social media, to interact with voters.

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