FairPoint New political game of likes and views to sway Gen Z for the right EVM click

New Delhi Aug 23 It is now clear that the opposition parties have started preparations for the 202729 election period which includes elections in about seven states and ultimately the Lok Sabha polls The stakes are very high and the fight is crucial for both the Opposition and the ruling coalition For the Opposition it is about survival and cutting the ruling dispensation to size For the coalition in power it is about maintaining continuity and demonstrating that its strategy has been right The fight has begun and this time the rules have changed It is no longer just about rallies corner meetings distributing pamphlets writing slogans on walls or erecting bannersThe election game has moved to a different level It is now more about building narratives and creating a wave on social media In fact the election fight has moved from street campaigning to something resembling a gaming levelWith social media reach widening by the day political parties are refocusing their electoral strategies India has over 50 crore active social media users while newer generations have grown up with mobile phones with an Internet connection Gen Zs reach through platforms such as Instagram Meta and X is hugeIt is this generation those born roughly between 1997 and 2012 that is now under the lens of political parties and their strategists The entire political spectrum the ruling side as well as the Opposition is focusing on Gen Z and Gen AlphaThe competition has begun not just between the Opposition and the ruling side it has also erupted within the Opposition camp For some time now the opposition parties even while trying to present a united face have been trying to outwit each other and emerge as the lead face to take on the BJPled government and Prime Minister Narendra ModiThe fight within has become interesting with Congress Aam Aadmi Party Samajwadi Party and others trying to race ahead with strategies to lure younger generations A big section of older generations has consistently voted for the Modiled Centre and the BJP in a majority of states With a large section of this generation presumed to be leaning towards one side the focus has shifted to Gen Z and Gen Alpha who have not directly experienced the UPAera governments or the AAP government in DelhiMost have only heard stories about the past regimes and have witnessed the BJP in power for the past 12 years Hence the centre of attention is the younger generation The Opposition is especially focused on Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the hope of creating a sphere of influence that might impress youngsters enough to press the EVM button in its favourIt is this EVM button press which has become the fulcrum of the entire exercise that political parties are going through now Each one has strong media teams and is hiring influencers to generate and spread a particular narrativeThe activism of Rahul Gandhi the sudden emergence of the AAPbacked CJP and the Congress SP BJP and others overhauling their social media departments are indicators of the extent to which parties are prepared to go to create the right image across various platforms The aim is to generate storms on social media and remain in the public viewThis is now fully visible across social media handles with parties trying everything under the sun to garner maximum views The recently held CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is perhaps the finest example of this strategy Termed a sidekick of Arvind Kejriwalâs AAP the Cockroach Janata Party activists and supporters did everything from speeches to abuses from dances to obscenity and even violence against security forces The aim was to storm the media space and create a sensation which they did successfullyHowever it did not end with the protest CJP activists are now creating social media reels by forcibly entering schools and trying to influence young minds Under its âSchool Thik Karoâ campaign CJP workers have been barging into classrooms in government schools in Maharashtra and Rajasthan to âexposeâ poor infrastructure and administrative lapses However they faced public wrath in a Rajasthan village where the team was first asked not to bother the villagers When the CJP team still tried to barge into a school the villagers threw them outQuestions are now being asked about the lack of CJP activism in nonBJPruled states The party leaders are also being cornered over their lack of interest in the Jharkhand student protest movement The CJP is increasingly being portrayed as biased and playing lopsided politicsIf the CJP is trying every means to stay in social media views the Congress party is not staying behind In what appears to be a direct competition for attention Rahul Gandhi has been playing on the July 20 student protest violence caseOn August 21 Gandhi held a sixhour sitin protest outside a Delhi police station to register an FIR in the case of a 19yearold student protester who allegedly suffered pelletgun injuries during the July 20 march to Parliament The protest quickly went viral on news television and social media For much of Friday Gandhi occupied a substantial share of the viewing spaceIt is this viewing space for which strategies are being drawn and redrawn by political parties and their supporting outletsRecent reports said that the social media reach of Union ministers came up for discussion at a Cabinet meeting and ministers were told to step up efforts to ensure their messages reach a wider audience particularly the youthWith every party reviewing and refocusing its social media activities the competition is only going to get more interesting But what needs to be watched is the kind of plot that is set and the narrative that followsThe country is definitely going to witness an intense fight especially among opposition parties to build a narrative that can impress Gen Z The target is the 2027 elections and the big 2029 battle And todays Gen Z could have a big say in deciding that fightDeepika Bhan can be contacted at deepikabiansin IANS