Old City’s poll campaigning goes online

Looking to reap political dividends, political parties in Old City are taking the battle to the social media

Banners and buntings of political leaders could well be a thing of the past. With youngsters and the middle-aged being increasingly swayed by the social media, political parties in the city’s south are now eyeing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach out to the electorate.

“Youngsters here are tech savvy and hooked to social networking sites. Around 30 per cent of youngsters follow us on social networking sites and it is a must to keep pace with them,” says Talab Chanchalam corporator Mohd. Wajahat Ali Khan.

And those logging in on the smartphone are no longer rarities.

“The youth have become so accustomed to the smartphone that whatever be the occasion, they click photographs and upload it on their Facebook or Twitter profiles or just update the status in a matter of time,” says MBT leader Amjedullah Khan.

A few leaders who are keen to contest from the Muslim-dominated areas have hired youngsters to manage their profiles and pages and update content on the sites. Video sharing sites like YouTube are being put to good use.

“The change is because of the increasing educational levels in the youngsters here. Every other middle-class household has an internet connection. Even girls and women are well-versed in computers now,” says Shahalibanda corporator Mohd Ghouse. And to cash in on the trend, a few political parties have started more than a dozen pages to register their presence on the social networking sites. “No one wants to miss out on the opportunity, for every vote matters,” says a local resident.