Election campaigns in India go digital amid Omicron spread

BJP has early mover advantage, but strong digital campaigns don’t always lead to wins

- Nirmala Ganapathy

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is creating 30-second reels to amplify its messages and target opponents while the Congress party has held a Facebook chit-chat session with women voters, as election campaigning goes online amid the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant in pollbound states.

The Election Commission (EC) has asked parties to roll out virtual campaigns, and has banned roadshows and rallies while allowing door-to-door campaigning till Jan 22 in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

The elections, which will take place in phases from Feb 10, come as India sees its third wave of Covid-19. The country yesterday added 258,089 cases, taking its total tally to 37.38 million.

All the political parties are using tens of thousands of WhatsApp groups to send their messages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as organising online rallies to reach out to voters in a country where large rallies and roadshows are usually the mainstay of election campaigning.

Most parties have set up information technology (IT) war rooms and are creating short videos that can be viewed by even those with the slowest Internet connection. They are also mobilising vans with huge LED screens to amplify their messages.

The digital front runner is seen to be the BJP, which is seeking to retain power in four states – Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand – of which the most important is Uttar Pradesh, which has a 403-seat assembly.