BANGALORE:

Pounding pavement and pressing flesh may still be favoured methods of canvassing, but top politicians in Karnataka, lured by the prospect of reaching out to a large number of potential voters at virtually no cost, have suddenly taken to opening Facebook and Twitter accounts.

While social media does provide politicians with an additional platform to campaign, the real war among them is to check who's getting more hits. Old-timers like G Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, R Ashoka and Jagadish Shettar are among those who are now on Facebook and Twitter with just weeks left for the elections.

Most politicians do not operate their accounts themselves; these are managed by professionals. Deputy chief minister R Ashoka admits he doesn't operate his Facebook account everyday. Some experts are voluntarily operating his page which has considerable hits since it went live a few weeks ago. Health minister Aravind Limbavali, popular in the social media going by the number of hits, said Facebook and Twitter have helped him reach out to many segments of society. His friends' list has crossed 5,000 and he has opened a new account.

"Analytics and use of social media have become important factors in politics," said Bangalore-based co-founder of Analytics Quotient Neerav Naik. "In the 2012 US elections, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama leveraged social media to promote themselves. Using such media to increase popularity is not as extensively used in India as in the West. The Karnataka polls can be a testing ground for social media in the run-up to next year's big elections," Naik added.

Pictures of netas doing social work and talking about humanitarian causes are a common sight. One picture that has got many comments for Ashoka is a placard saying, "We don't have vote, but heart for you." Most of these are students from the Northeast, who had a torrid time last August after fake videos of Bodo-Muslim violence went viral on the web and they were attacked. Ashoka also participated in a function organized by the community in Bangalore.

Siddaramaiah's pictures show him canvassing. Now a separate page, 'Siddaramaiah as CM', has opened, and is operated by his son Rakesh. Pages of Lok Satta candidates like Meenakshi Bharath and Ashwin Mahesh, too, have huge following.

Chief minister Jagadish Shettar has put Bhagyalakshmi scheme and other government schemes as part of his achievements, and has over 5,000 hits. Former minister Shobha Karandlaje has long been active on social media.

The reach, penetration and impact of social media have made it essential for politicians to join in. The urban population depends on social media for jobs, marriages, important decisions like buying cars, property, and networking, etc. Most observers say public opinions and voting can be influenced by social media.

"Bangalore being a metropolitan city, politicians are using social media as a platform to run their campaigns," said Sridhar Ramanujam, CEO of the firm, Brand-Comm. "The city is an ideal testing ground for candidates, thanks to its high rate of internet penetration among the young and tech-savvy population. Political parties are circulating tailored messages to their target audience to gain maximum support," he added.

source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com