Chhattisgarh polls: BJP, Cong candidates well active on social media; others aren’t

Rajnandgaon, Oct 30: We have seen how social media has evolved into a key influencing factor in elections nowadays. But in Chhattisgarh, it seems that reality is yet to settle.

According to reports, 93 candidates are in the fray in Rajnandgaon district in the state for the November 12 election. However, although the party candidates among them are active on various social media platforms but most of the Independents have no such presence. Rajnandgaon district has six Assembly constituencies, including Rajnandgaon which belongs to Chief Minister Raman Singh. The Independents have revealed so while filing affidavits.

While Singh himself is active on a number of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, his opponent Karuna Shukla, the niece of late prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Aam Aadmi Party's candidate from Rajnandgaon seat Varun Tiwari are not so Internet-savvy and limit themselves to basic Internet usage.

In Khairagarh, another constituency in the district, both the BJP and Congress candidates - Komal Janghel and Girwar Janghel - are also Internet-savvy though the AAP candidate from the constituency - Mahesh Lodhi - is not known to be a loyal follower of the online world.

In other constituencies of the district, too, the two national parties have fielded candidates who are well active on social media. Besides these two parties, the AAP and Chhattisgarh Janta Congress have set up their own social media cells but for candidates from smaller parties or the Independents, the responsibility lies on their friends and relatives to run their social media campaign.