Many are trying to keep pace with changing times while others are forced by compulsions of their party diktats.
Many are trying to keep pace with changing times while others are forced by compulsions of their party diktats. Politicians in Uttar Pradesh, most of them still computer illiterate, are now trying to get active on the social media as the elections come near and for this, they have found a new “jugaad”.
These politicians, who cannot differentiate between a “like” and a “tag” or a “poke”, are now employing young men and women to handle their accounts on Facebook and Twitter.
“I do not know the basics of social networking but since it is now compulsory for us, I have employed two persons to handle my account. All that they have to do is to follow the posts of top party leaders and then post similar ones on my account,” admitted a BJP MP from eastern UP.
The BJP incidentally has made it compulsory for all its legislators to ensure at least 25,000 followers of their Facebook pages if they wish to get a ticket for the 2017 Assembly elections.
The technology illiteracy of UP politicians has opened employment opportunities for out-of-work journalists in the state. About three dozen unemployed journalists have been hired by politicians in BJP and SP in Lucknow alone to handle their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The trend is catching on in various districts also. One such journalist explained, -"We are required to post condolences on behalf of the client on the social networking sites wherever there is a human tragedy or a prominent person dies. We also have to sing paeans to the decisions of their party leaders. On controversial issues, we either remain silent or ask the client before making any comment.-"
Photographs of functions and other programmes in the constituency of the client are regularly posted on the networking sites. However, those who manage the accounts do not respond to queries put up by the followers and friends of the client.
-"If the leader starts responding to individual queries, it would seem that he has ample leisure time,-" the journalist said.
Those who have been employed by politicians to handle their accounts on the social networking sites are getting handsomely paid. For instance, an experienced journalist is being paid anything between Rs 30,000 and Rs 60,000 per month while young boys and girls get around Rs 20,000.
-"I opted for a journalist, despite the high remuneration, because he is well acquainted with political events while entrusting the task to a novice can prove counter-productive if he or she goofs up,-" said a SP MLA.
Even the elections come closer, even those MLAs who are computer literate prefer to employ someone to handle their accounts.
-"We are already hard pressed for time because campaigning has begun. We cannot remain active on the social networking sites at this time so I have hired the services of a journalist for the next few months. Since he also keeps updating me of the latest political developments, it is an added advantage,-" said a BJP MLA.
The Samajwadis are also taking to social networking sites in a big way because UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is very active on Twitter and Facebook. In fact, there is a new group of followers who have christened themselves as -"Akhileshians-".
Some Congress leaders like Raj Babbar and Jitin Prasada remain actively updated on their pages but the most of the veterans have not updated their accounts since the past several months.
The Bahujan Samaj Party, however, stands apart in this social media race. Very few BSP leaders have their accounts on the social media and those that have do not go beyond saying -"Good Morning-".
Ms Mayawati firmly believes that the social media has no impact on the voters in rural areas where her voters live.
