How social media found a way to put NoMOre before NaMo

The NaMo chants refuse to die out every time BJP’s prime ministerial candidate takes the stage. But some have taken to social media to chant something else: NoMOre. [caption id=“attachment_1472941” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Photo of the NoMOre campaign. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] NoMOre, a Facebook page and Twitter account, is dedicated to thwarting Narendra Modi’s prime ministerial bid. The Facebook page displays a cover photo of two silhouettes: Modi and Hitler, offering a more blunt version of the indirect comparison made by Rahul Gandhi which sparked off a political storm. While there are no disclosures of who the campaigners are, the near two-month-old group has only gained 6000-plus supporters, though the number is growing as polls draw closer. The description of the page reads: “The NOMOre Campaign is a non-funded, non-party affiliated platform that aims to challenge the lies and hatred that Narendra Modi represents.” The campaign, they say, is a platform to “enable us to unify our energies, share resources and pose a stronger collective challenge to Modi and his disruptive politics.” One of the initiatives by individuals running the page includes releasing a list of candidates that people could vote for, instead of the BJP. The list of candidates in states going to poll on 10 April includes members of various political parties like Congress, AAP, Bahujan Samaj Party, SP, among others. Recommendations for the Delhi polls, where the administrators of the page suggest voting for Rajmohan Gandhi in East Delhi who is facing BJP’s relatively little known Maheish Girri and Congress candidate and former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep Dikshit. Despite Chandni Chowk being one of the most frought contests between Congress’ Kapil Sibal, BJP’s Dr Harsh Vardhan and AAP’s journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh, the page says “no recommendation, as of now.” Other than Congress’ Ajay Maken from New Delhi, the recommendations favour AAP across the rest of the constituencies in Delhi. Western Uttar Pradesh where 10 constituencies will go to poll on 10 April, NoMOre suggests a mix of BSP, RLD, Samajwadi Party and Congress leaders. For constituencies like Muzaffarnagar, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bijnore and Bulandshahar no recommendations have been made, even though present elected members belong to BSP, while Nagma, the actor-turned-politician has been championed from Meerut. In Baghpat, RLD founder and chief Ajit Singh has been recommended in a six way contest between BJP’s Satyapal Singh, BSP’s Prashant Chaudhary, Bahujan Mukti Party’s Bhopal Singh, AAP’s Somendra Dhaka and Samajwadi Party’s Gulam Mohmmad. The page makes similar suggestions in case of Bihar. Of the six constituencies going to poll on April, two suggested leaders belong to Congress, which includes current Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar while the other four candidates suggested belong to RJD. For NoMOre, suggestions made in Haryana is a three-way toss up between Congress candidates, ’lack of recommendations’ and AAP’s Yogendra Yadav, who has been recommended for the Gurgaon seat. While one of AAP’s latest joinee Gul Panag has been suggested from the Chandigarh. The Twitter page on the other hand links to various videos of activists like Teesta Setalvad who have long spoken up against BJP’s PM bid. The campaign which runs on volunteer efforts, calls for everyone to “Tweet, post, email or sms; do as much as you can to bust myths about the man (Modi) and his machinery.”