Maya logs on to Twitter for ‘speedy interaction’ with people
LUCKNOW: With political parties using social media to interact with voters and gear up cadre for Lok Sabha elections, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati has also announced her presence on Twitter.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the BSP office in-charge said Mayawati had decided to join Twitter for speedy interaction with the media and people besides expressing her views on various important issues and political developments.
Her Twitter account is @SushriMayawati.
Though the BSP made an official announcement on Wednesday, her account shows that she had joined the micro-blogging site in October last year.
On January 22, Mayawati had posted a tweet: “Hello brothers and sisters. With due respect let me introduce myself to the Twitter family. This is my opening and inauguration. @sushrimayawati is my official Twitter handle for all my future interactions, comments and updates.”
However, her tweet went unnoticed.
A BSP leader said Mayawati’s Twitter handle was verified on Wednesday and within hours it had 24,000 followers.
Press releases of the party and her reactions on various issues have also been uploaded on her Twitter account.
The BSP, however, does not have a Twitter handle yet.
While RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav tried to take credit of BSP chief’s Twitter foray stating that he was happy that Mayawati had acknowledged his request of joining Twitter, party insiders said Mayawati’s nephew Aakash Kumar had planned the BSP’s social media campaign.
Akash, an MBA from a prestigious institute in London, was present in the meetings when the SP and the BSP announced their alliance.
“He (Akash) had also participated in Mayawati’s birthday celebrations in Lucknow and Delhi. She had introduced him to party leaders and office-bearers. He has prompted Mayawati to join Twitter and other social media platforms,” another BSP leader said.
In the past, Mayawati had been maintaining distance from social media and at times she had even issued press statements to deny that she had any social media account.
In August 2017, a poster of Mayawati calling for opposition unity before a rally organised by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Patna was uploaded on Twitter. Mayawati rebutted the reports carried in a section of the media which claimed that she would join the Congress-led alliance to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election and said the BSP did not have a Twitter account.
Addressing party leaders last year, Mayawati had said that she had no Twitter handle and claimed that rival parties were running a misinformation campaign on social media to misguide voters.
She also asked the party workers and leaders to remain alert and not to trust posts or comments made about her or the party on social media.
Ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, Mayawati had cancelled the ticket of Sangeeta Chaudhary, BSP candidate from Atrauli seat, after she posted her picture with Mayawati on Facebook.
A BSP leader, who did not wish to be named, said since Mayawati was not active on social media, most of the party leaders stayed away Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. “Some BSP supporters and dalit groups run Twitter handles and Facebook page but BSP office-bearers do not post their comments on it,” he said. Before the 2017 assembly election, some BSP leaders used social media for campaigning and launched a video series ‘Behenji ko aane do’ on a Twitter account (@BSPUP2017) to interact with voters. However, Mayawati had said it was not the official account of her party and was operated by BSP supporters.
Devashish Jarariya, a dalit activist who was active on social media, had also faced Mayawati’s wrath and was expelled from the BSP before the assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. Later, he joined the Congress. A BSP zonal coordinator, on condition of anonymity, said: “Mayawati will soon have a Facebook page and an Instagram account as well. The party is likely to release a joint manifesto with its alliance partner Samajwadi Party before the Lok Sabha election to make its stand clear on various issues and policies.” Dalit activist and political analyst RK Gautam said, “Mayawati had been shying away from social media since long while the leaders of all prominent parties were very much active on Twitter and Facebook. The 2014 general elections and 2017 assembly elections highlighted the power of social media.”
“Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, who is challenging the might of the BSP, is also using social media to mobilise dalits. Sensing the presence of dalits and other backward castes on Twitter, Mayawati has realised the importance of social media. She now aims to woo the young generation and take on her opponents in the electoral battle,” he said.