Ahead of Telangana polls, contestants dance, grieve, mingle with voters
Desperate times call for desperate measures and contesting an election could be one of those. Candidates in election-bound Telangana can be seen playing pallbearers, dancing themselves into a frenzy at local festivals and even shaving beards of customers. Often pilloried for neglecting their constituencies and showing up only during elections, these campaigners are trying hard to shave off some of the criticism. Here's more.
Tech-savvy contestants using social media's power to woo voters
Some tech-savvy contestants are also taking to social media like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to the digitally-literate voters. A picture of Madhusudhana Chary, the Speaker of the now dissolved Assembly, shaving the beard of a customer in a barber's shop has gone viral. The TRS leader, who's seeking re-election from Bhupalpalle constituency, was recently seen spoon-feeding a destitute man under the campaign.
State's IT Minister has a four-member social media team
Former Deputy CM T Rajaiah was seen breaking into a jig with women during a local festival. Others like the State's Information Technology and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao is using social media extensively to reach out to the electorate. Those close to him said Rama Rao has constituted a four-member team to handle his personal social media accounts.
Rao's team to create awareness about govt programs, beneficiaries
The job of Rao's team is to keep him abreast of the latest developments and prepare content for social media. "He has four members who monitor his Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts. The TRS has about 100 members to monitor social media platforms. Their job is to aggressively create awareness about government programs, beneficiaries and also counter-remarks by opposition parties," sources said.
Rao's Facebook page live-streams his speeches, has videos of father
Over 8.83 lakh people like KTR's Facebook page and his speeches made at election rallies are streamed live on his social media accounts. KTR is seeking a fresh Assembly term from Sircilla seat and has been campaigning extensively across Telangana. The TRS official's Facebook page has over one million followers and is constantly updated with news and videos of his father K Chandrasekhar Rao.
More spice to be added to the political potpourri?
Telangana unit Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy's Facebook page, replete with his photographs at political meetings, also has over 5L followers. As the campaign for control of Telangana heats up ahead of the December-7 polls, more spice will surely be added to the political potpourri.
