As ECI extends restrictions on campaign, aspirants in Noida focus on social media

Party supporters HT spoke to said unlike the rest of the state where social media campaigning may not be practical in the large rural belts of the state, in urban Noida it could have far reaching effects

The election campaign in Noida has shifted to Zoom calls and door-to-door meetings as the Election Commission of India extended on Saturday extended its ban on political rallies and roadshows in the five election-bound states, including Uttar Pradesh, till January 31 as the country continues to grapple with another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and sitting MLA Pankaj Singh, who was infected with Covid and isolating at home, is reaching out to the electorate mostly through Zoom calls. (HT Photo)

India recorded over 337,000 fresh cases of Covid on Friday. The Commission has, however, decided to relax some of the guidelines for candidates who will be contesting in the first phase on February 10 and second phase to be held on February 14. Now, candidates in Uttar Pradesh, which will vote in the first phase, will be allowed physical meetings in designated open spaces with a maximum of 500 persons or 50% of the capacity of the ground, but only from January 28 to February 8.

UP will vote in seven phases from February 10 to March 7. Gautam Budh Nagar goes to polls in the first phase on February 10.

Party supporters HT spoke to said unlike the rest of the state where social media campaigning may not practical in the large rural belts of the state, in urban Noida it could be used to far reaching effect.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and sitting MLA Pankaj Singh, who was infected with Covid and isolating at home, is reaching out to the electorate mostly through Zoom calls, he said. Saturday was the last day of his home isolation.

“We have to follow the norms and ensure that we don’t put others at risk. So, Zoom calls have been very helpful, and we have had a good turnout of people on the calls. It is easier to interact in person, but we take all questions and I even take questions from people during the online interactions,” Singh said.

Congress’ Pankhuri Pathak, however, has preferred door-to-door campaigns. “We are sending out posters and messages to our voters on social media. However, I am also going door-to-door and meeting people individually. It is important to have a personal connect with our voters, which the current leaders have failed to establish,” Pathak said.

She added that the party is also running a vigorous campaign on its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handles.

Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Sunil Choudhary has also been banking on both online and offline campaigns. According to him, meeting voters personally is important since it reassures the voters that their leader is approachable.

“We are not holding rallies but I do meet small groups of people offline, apart from running a social media campaign. The ruling leaders did not understand people’s issues and did not meet them over the past five years. People cannot trust leaders who are not approachable. This is why we are establishing connection with voters both online and offline,” said Chaudhary.

Online campaigning has encouraged independent candidates too, as they feel they have an equal opportunity to campaign and put forward their views.

According to Yeshu Singh, a student in Gautam Budh Nagar, who has filed his nomination as an independent, it is better that most of the campaigning has shifted online.

“We don’t have resources like political parties but and social media campaigning is proving to be a leveller. It gives people like us an equal chance to relate with the voters without having to hold big rallies or road shows,” said Singh.

He said that he is contesting as a “youth candidate” from Noida with a focus on sustainable development and environmental issues.

Political experts also feel that social media campaigning will help improve political participation, especially from the youth.

“The fact that nominations, and especially rallies, are being conducted online also attracts more people since this provides those individuals who do not have a very strong financial background an opportunity to fight an election, and allows them to pose a challenge to the centuries-old money-power nexus,” said Dr Shalini Saxena, associate professor (political science), Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Amity University.