Ahead of the crucial assembly elections next month, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Monday asked Delhiites to join the party’s digital campaign by highlighting “good work” of the Delhi government on social media platforms.
Launching his party’s “Ek Mauka Kejriwal Ko” (one chance to Kejriwal) campaign, the AAP chief urged residents of Delhi to upload short videos of their “good experience” of the achievements by the AAP-led Delhi government on social media and appeal to voters in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Goa to vote for the party.
“Make videos on good works of Delhi government telling how you benefitted, and share them on Twitter, Instagram Facebook, Whatsapp, etc., appealing to people to give one chance to Kejriwal if they want similar good works in their states too,” the Delhi chief minister said. “Also, WhatsApp your videos to people known to you in these states appealing them to give a chance to Kejriwal,” he added.
The AAP has already announced to contesting all seats in the assembly elections to be held in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand.
{{/usCountry}}The AAP has already announced to contesting all seats in the assembly elections to be held in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Uttarakhand.
{{/usCountry}}Saying his party did not have “crores of money” to spend on elections, Kejriwal said the support of the people of Delhi is the most valuable asset for the AAP. “We could transform Delhi because the public showed faith in us and gave us a chance to form the government. We will be able to replicate the Delhi model in other parts of the country, if people in other states too trust and support us like Delhiites,” he said.
Kejriwal also promised to host a dinner for the creators of top 50 videos after the elections.
“The videos can depict how measures taken by the Delhi government have helped the public. If there’s a mohalla clinic around one, they can show what all facilities these clinics provide. They can be living proof of the education revolution of Delhi and show how our ‘happiness curriculum’ or entrepreneurship curriculum has helped the children,” Kejriwal said.
“In the last seven years, the AAP government has done a lot of remarkable work in Delhi. People from the United Nations came to visit mohalla clinics and the former US president’s (Donald Trump’s) wife (Melania Trump) came to see Delhi’s schools. We are providing 24-hour free electricity to people,” he said, adding it was possible only because people of Delhi gave the opportunity to the AAP.
“Do you want this good work to be replicated in other parts of the country? People of these (poll-bound) states should also get free 24-hour electricity, good roads, better schools, and better healthcare facilities,” he said.
Prof Tanvir Aeijaz, an associate professor of political science at Delhi University’s Ramjas College, said campaigns by political parties during Covid-19 pandemic are done largely on social media, and AAP’s initiative by asking residents to upload videos of “good work by Kejriwal” on social media can be seen as a novel idea of political mobilisation for state elections.
“It does give a veneer of participatory democracy, but largely the party workers would be uploading it. However, people at large do not understand the nuances of multilevel federalism operating in Delhi, and hence uploading videos may lead to intense propaganda in terms of blame game. The biggest casualty would be truth,” Aeijaz said.
He pointed at the fact that Delhi Dialogue Commission does not have reports to back the authenticity of AAP’s claims of development. “Campaigns on social media by parties could lead to anyone’s advantage, or perhaps to the party that has major control over it. It would be better for AAP to fight on a more realistic turf, with more authentic reports than on social media,” he added.