Karnataka: Parties mulling influencer collabs, may step up social media campaign for upcoming polls
BJP, Congress and JDS in Karnataka seem to be catching up with the emerging trend in politics to use social media for campaigning.
Sources across the political spectrum told ET that parties may step up social media campaigns as compared to the recent assembly polls in Karnataka. While leaders may collaborate with influencers, the latter are not strictly on the party payrolls, they added.
«Whoever posts content in our favour is doing it voluntarily, we are not paying them,» sources in the BJP said.
The saffron party said its social media handles would be used to promote all the development works the BJP did while in power and “amplify awareness.”
Congress party sources said party leaders’ social media handles were still the best medium to influence and take messages to the last mile amongst voters. “YouTubers show another side of political leaders with their unique interviews.
It is, however, difficult to quantify its impact in terms of votes exactly,” they said. The Congress, which has come together with Opposition parties across the country to form the INDIA alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, will pool together its social media resources with the other members to come up with the best strategy, they added.
Sources in the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) told ET that while the Lok Sabha campaign was still in the planning stages, state leaders may consider interviewing with popular YouTubers and influencers to connect with younger voters.
The Congress, the JDS and the BJP spent around Rs 2.6 crore combined on Facebook and Instagram ads in 90 days before the assembly polls, according to Meta’s ad library report.
Parties had spent slightly more on google ads from January till May. The BJP spent Rs 7.1 crore on 3,949 advertisements,
. Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
