SHILLONG, March 15: Not many are aware but social media, which, in contemporary times, has become a part and parcel of everyone’s life, did play an all-important role in the recently concluded Meghalaya Assembly elections.
Not only did social media provide a platform for the political parties to woo the electorates, it also acted as a battleground where political parties, with memes in their arsenal, came to blows almost every day.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which made a grandiose entrance in Meghalaya politics in 2021, cashed in on social media to not only propagate their message of development against the masses but also cast aspersions on the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) on almost an everyday basis.
Political satires aside, the TMC also used the platform in disseminating awareness among the people on the issues of “corruption and misgovernance” in Meghalaya.
Some Facebook pages such as ‘Conman Conrad’ and ‘Meghalaya Deserves Better’ had also shared a boatload of satirical memes on the ruling dispensation in the run-up to the elections.
However, extensive use of social media failed to produce the desired outcome for the TMC, which ended up winning only five seats across the state.
Now, apart from TMC, the BJP, too, made use of social media to promote the party and to educate the electorates on various central projects.
It also highlighted how much the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government has done for Meghalaya by sanctioning several projects from time to time.
Controversy also momentarily smote the BJP right before February 14 when a fake letter, airing the party’s opposition to Valentine’s Day, did rounds on social media. The state BJP, however, was quick to react against the letter by issuing a clarification and filing a police complaint.
All in all, the arduous attempts to win the hearts of the electorates of Meghalaya, however, fell flat after the BJP failed to remove the anti-communal tag from the party, thereby ending up with only two seats.
Apart from the BJP and the TMC, the newly floated VPP also created a sensation in Meghalaya in the run-up to the elections when their song Ha u Prah, which spread like wildfire on social media.
It is likely that the song helped the newly floated party in making its presence felt in Meghalaya politics, especially considering the fact that the VPP bagged four seats in their very first innings.
The NPP, on the other hand, also cashed in on social media to promise development as well as attack political rivals, especially the TMC.
Other parties like UDP and HSPDP, however, kept their social media campaign limited during the entire campaigning period.
