Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 | Two FIRs registered against social media operators for 'campaigns to malign image' of state, CM Hemant Soren

Ranchi: The Jharkhand Police have registered FIRs against operators of two social media accounts for allegedly running campaigns to malign the image of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and that of the state, a senior officer said on Saturday.

The FIRs were registered after Soren and the ruling JMM accused the BJP of running "shadow" campaigns to malign the CM’s and the state’s image.

"Two FIRs have been registered for campaigns against the CM's and the state's image," a police officer said.

Soren had alleged that the saffron camp has been "spending crores of money on various social media platforms" and "created 95,000 Whatsapp groups" to campaign against the JMM-led coalition in the state.

“We have lodged two complaints against social media platforms for shadow campaigns at Gonda and Ratu police stations in Ranchi,” JMM spokesperson Vinod Pandey told PTI.

The JMM had also taken up the matter with the Election Commission.

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar told PTI that the commission has taken cognizance of the matter and a compliance report was sent in this connection.

Hitting out at the saffron party, Soren had claimed that "dictators may possess billions of rupees" but he believed it was "better to stick to principles rather than securing a win through unfair means".

"I want to present an important report to you. Crores of rupees have been spent on Facebook advertisements by the BJP to damage my and the state's image through a 'shadow campaign'.

"In the last 30 days, advertisements worth Rs 72 lakh have been given from various social media accounts like 'Jharkhand Chaupal', 'Ranchi Chaupal'. If you see the content of these pages, you will understand that their sole purpose is to tarnish my and the state's image, spread religious frenzy and make people fight among themselves," Soren alleged in a post on X.

The chief minister claimed that while the BJP "spent crores of rupees to tarnish his image", he did "not spend a single rupee on any promotion which can be verified by visiting the ad library of any social media".

The BJP, however, claimed that these allegations showed "Soren's desperation and frustration".

"Soren's posts show his desperation and frustration. He has understood that he has lost the battle and is posting such remarks in sheer hopelessness. The allegations are fabricated, false and beyond truth," BJP's former state president and senior leader Deepak Prakash said.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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