Need JD(S) ticket? You must be a social media star

poll plan

At a time when political parties look at bank accounts while selecting candidates to contest elections, the JD(S) will scrutinise their social media accounts too.

Even as it seeks to rise from the embers, the JD(S) has now decided to make social media popularity a criterion for selecting prospective candidates.

Going forward, while giving tickets to candidates during polls, the party will prefer those with a good fan following on various social media platforms. When it comes to Assembly elections, the party has decided to give prominence to candidates with a minimum of 25,000 followers on various platforms and for BBMP polls, it will prefer candidates with at least 10,000 followers.

Invigorated by the recent victory of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Delhi elections, the party held a meeting with its leaders on Thursday, to decide on its social media strategy.

Senior leader Y S V Datta told DH, “The party recognises that the traditional membership process no longer works. Social media is a significant aspect these days. Candidates aspiring to become MLAs will be given these directions. But of course, this is just one of the parameters.”

The party was emulating AAP’s example, he added. “The AAP, too, grew with a strong presence on social media. Everywhere, regional parties are reasserting themselves. Our state too needs the presence of a strong regional party,” Datta said.

Recently, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had written to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, congratulating him on his victory.

The party is now insisting that its existing leaders be proactive on Facebook and Twitter.

Over the next month, the party will also hold workshops in Hubballi, Raichur, Davangere and Udupi, with all its social media volunteers, creating awareness among them about the party’s history and its contributions.

At present, Gowda has 42,600 followers on Twitter, while his son H D Kumaraswamy has 1.64 lakh followers.

That apart, countering BJP’s narrative of the party and publicising the party’s developmental works taken up by Gowda and Kumaraswamy, are among other measures the party has decided to take up, according to JD(S) Bengaluru District president R Prakash said.

Such measures, leaders feel, will help the party come out of the crisis. While Kumaraswamy became the chief minister despite his party losing the 2018 Assembly polls, his government was toppled amid discontentment within his ranks. Also, the party faced a drubbing in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.