BJP, Congress gear up to prove their mettle on the social media - IBNLive

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha election is being fought not only on the streets but via social media as well. While the BJP has been aggressively using the social media platform even before the 2009 debacle, the Congress has warmed up to it only recently with the formation of a social media cell to counter the BJP and make up for the lost time. As a conscious decision after losing elections in 2009, every prominent BJP leader has been actively using social media. The BJP's IT cell has been involved in promoting the party on various social media platforms and indulge in various online sessions like Facebook chat sessions to establish a connection with the voters. "Today we specifically spoke about the role of women in nation building," BJP MP Smriti Irani said after a Facebook chat session. The 2014 elections will tell whether the Feku facts or Modi's band of followers have been able to strike a chord with the voters. BJP's IT cell wants to make the party accessible to maximum number of people across various sections in the society. "We aim to reach 2 crore people," BJP IT cell's National Convenor Arvind Gupta said. They aim to gather the trust and confidence of the young voters with their online campaign. "This entire campaign is to reach the voters between the age of 16-26. One is to get their votes and to influence their parents. Plan is to build one million volunteers, get them regular members and convert votes," said BJP IT cell's Co-Convenor Vineet Goenka. The popularity of the BJP across the social media platforms is reflected by the number of followers that its leaders have been able to attract. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has over 21 lakh followers on Twitter alone. The Congress party which was lacking in its approach towards the social media is gearing up to take on the Opposition party on the World Wide Web in the wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. They are revamping their website and will soon have an Internet TV platform. However, they do not agree that fans on social media necessarily mean support in the form of votes in elections. "Followers are not essentially fans or voters, and I certainly have never made such a claim for myself and Modi should not make a claim for himself," MoS HRD Shashi Tharoor said. While Tharoor has been active across social media platforms and even had to face the ire for his statements like the cattle class comment on Twitter, he agrees that his party has been late in warming up to the power of social media. "I was way ahead of the curve. The moment the backlash started in those circumstances political parties backed off," he said. Information or opinions trending on Twitter and Facebook have often made their way to newspapers and TV channels which certainly says that this medium cannot be ignored. 2014 elections are being considered as a litmus test to know the impact of social media on voters. Only time will tell if the Feku facts or Modi's band of followers have been able to strike a chord with the voters. (For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest) #2014 elections #lok sabha #congress #bjp #feku facts #narendra modi #voters #smriti irani #facebook #twitter Delhi: BJP holds first meeting of national campaign committee Vadra's company did not conceal the facts, admits Khemka Send me to 'Bigg Boss' house, will make contestants' life hell: Salman Will not allow any infiltration along the LoC : Army via Top Stories - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNF4uItXVuSf2alwP3ozHXRoA-YFEw&url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-congress-gear-up-to-prove-their-mettle-on-the-social-media/415220-37.html

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