Long time social media refusenik, the Bahujan Samaj Party, is embracing Twitter and Facebook ahead of the 2017 UP Assembly elections but with a difference. By focussing on issues the party supremo Mayawati has been lampooned for, concerted efforts are being made by academics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) with help from influential Dalits in the U.S., to focus on issues of development. Nothing personal is posted online.
The political party’s tentative foray into social media two years ago, has now taken on an urgency, which sources in the party say, is to counter the negative campaign against the party supremo Mayawati on Twitter. Just a few days ago, on September 11, following the rally of the BSP leader in Saharanpur, #MayawatiNextUPCM was trending at number one on Twitter India, and was in the sixth position in the world, say the BSP’s social media managers.
Paresh Mishra, son-in-law of senior party leader Satish Mishra, is the party’s media coordinator. While Mr Mishra confirmed the party’s presence on social media, he did not share any details. It is learnt that Mr. Mishra amd Afzal Siddiqui, son of senior BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui, are managing the presence of the party on social media.
“It is not as if the party has taken a formal decision to be on twitter or Facebook. It is the young media savvy Dalits who have initiated the move which the party leader has taken note of,” says an academic who is coordinating the discussion on social media platforms. “We want organic linkages and do not wish to hire professionals to make our presence felt on social media,” said a person connected with implementation.
It is learnt that 30 academics/administrators from Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Indiana University, Bloomington, and JNU are coordinating efforts on the social media with live streaming of BSP rallies.
In Delhi, 23-year-old Varun, working on the social media team for the party, explains how the party is getting attuned to young voters on social media.
“Earlier , we used to roam on the streets asking people to come forward and vote. Those who saw us came. In the age of Tweets and status updates on Facebook, we are trying to reach out to a wider constituency that may not necessarily attend rallies.” Varun keeps a close watch whenever the BSP supremo starts trending on Twitter.
Dos and don’tsThe list of ‘don’ts’ for those who tweet on @BSP4India and @BspUp2017 is don’t focus on the Opposition; do not put photographs of Opposition leaders on Twitter; don’t engage in debates as those from the Opposition often hire professional help. The list of ‘Dos’ are: counter negative news with positives and post photographs of BSP leaders on social media platforms.
For instance, the photograph of a little girl dressed like Mayawati on Facebook, media managers of BSP inform, attracted over a lakh of ‘likes’. The ‘Dos’ include deleting negative comments on Facebook and Twitter.
Be it Behenji Ke Sipahi or Mission 2017, a network on Facebook has been forged. Says Professor Badri Narayan Tiwari at the Centre for the Study of Discrimination and Exclusion at JNU, and the author of Kanshi Ram: Leader of the Dalits , the terms of engagement have changed because of a large mobile Dalit middle class.
“If you noticed, the BSP leader has directed her party men to engage with the media. This is indicative of a slight change from viewing the media as upper class and elitist,” said Prof. Narayan.
He adds that it is the educated middle class which is changing the discourse of engagement. Prof. Narayan also states that had the party made its presence felt in 2014 on social media, like the BJP, the outcome of the elections may have been different.
