On a day when the Congress launched its campaigning for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh with a three-day bus yatra, its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit posted her first-ever tweet.
Though she joined the micro-blogging site three years back, Ms. Dikshit had never tweeted till date. He first tweet was for seeking support to the yatra, named “27 saal UP behaal.” The slogan is a reference to the number of years Congress was out of power in the State.
The three-time Delhi Chief Minister tweeted: “As we start our #27SaalUPBehal Yatra, I seek your support and blessings.”
As we start our >#27SaalUPBehal Yatra, I seek your support and blessings.
— Sheila Dikshit (@SheilaDikshit) >July 23, 2016
By Saturday afternoon, she had over 1,200 followers, while she followed 25, including the PMO. The official handle of the UP Congress promoted Ms. Dikshit on Twitter indicating that the party would utilize social media to send across its electoral message in the State.
The bus yatra was flagged off from the Congress headquarters in New Delhi by party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Accompanying Ms. Dikshit on the tour will be senior leaders, including general secretary in-charge of UP, Ghulam Nabi Azad and the newly-appointed UP Congress chief Raj Babbar.
According to sources, Ms. Dikshit is scheduled to address a public meeting or a road show in Shahjahanpur district on Sunday evening.
While Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party’s face in 2017, is active on social media, BSP chief Mayawati has no trace on it.
However, her party volunteers run a few unofficial accounts. The BJP is also keen on its social media presence and its revamped corporate-styled UP headquarters is powered with wifi, digital library, a war room, and a formidible IT Cell with a database of every block in the State.
