It seems that Amit Shah, BJP President, is behaving in a domineering and demanding manner prior to UP assembly election. You might feel strange to know that UP assembly hopefuls are asked for having 25k likes or followers on social media if they want tickets for the UP polls. As per TOI, all the aspirants will have to show their vital presence on Twitter and Facebook. It no doubt proves the increasing involvement of social media in every field, be it cricket or politics. This definitely might have left few leaders of the party worried as to whether they will be able to achieve the target or not; however, there are some who wish to give it a try.
Talking about Laxmikant Bajpai, the outgoing state president of Bharatiya Janata Party, he looks quite confident in view of the fact that he already boasts 10k followers on Twitters. What’s more, he is of the opinion that he would achieve this “target in just three months”.
According to Suresh Rana, this statement of Amit Shah “should not be taken as a burden”; here let us tell you that Rana is a Muzaffarnagar riots accused.
This is what he told Times Of India, “Instead, social media is the best way to connect with the youth and it also serves as a barometer of your work. A few days ago, I got a suggestion on FB itself when someone asked me to put up a question in Vidhan Sabha on the way Western UP’s increasingly contaminated groundwater is giving rise to diseases like cancer. I do not have a fan page. The day I have that page, I will also have a minimum of 1 lakh likes.”
On the other hand, a member of BJP maintained, “The real parameter of a leader’s popularity is gauged by the work he does in his area and not how many followers he has on social media. Besides, a leader serves all sections of society, and not all of them are on social media platforms.”
However, Kunwar Bharatendra, Bijnor MP, said that people misinterpreted the suggestion of Amit Shah. In his words, “Shah’s statement was more on a suggestive note because 25,000 followers are minimal to run an election campaign. The message was intended to encourage party workers to strive harder towards increasing public contact.”
It will really be interesting to see which BJP leader gets the maximum likes or followers on social media and whether the party will adhere to its suggestion or not!