West Bengal polls: Politicians are using Twitter, Facebook and even Soundcloud to up their game

Mamata Banerjee also tweets these videos out on Twitter along with sharing pictures of the various rallies she participates in.

The TMC also has a presence on SoundCloud, but they have put out only one track so far - Trinamool: The Song

While Banerjee refrains from slamming other parties on Twitter as much as she can, TMC's national spokesperson Derek O'Brien, who is very active on social media, believes in re-tweeting posts that don't show the best side of other politicians. This retweet, for instance, takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi.

Derek O'Brien also has a wicked sense of humour. Look at this tweet for instance:

It looks like he wants to make a case against the CMP-Congress alliance in West Bengal. The TMC took its youth-connect strategy one step ahead and created a mobile app, which is now in its third version and can be downloaded on Android as well as IOS, reported The Indian Express.

Before the launch of the app, Mamata Banerjee posted this on her wall: "To give you a whole new world of experience on digital interface, a new customised and updated mobile app has just been launched, which can help you to get lots of information at your fingertips on mobiles, tablets etc. Please enjoy the experience."

The TMC also has a website that has a weekly poll, their manifesto, a voter's guide, student's corner and a little widget that counts the number of days in government. The website was launched in 2009 and the party has expanded its presence in the digital space since then. The website is called aitcofficial.org.

Left Parties

The CPM, which was against the introduction of computers in India on the grounds that it would mean loss of jobs, are also using social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to reach out to younger voters.

Surya Kanta Mishra, state secretary of CPM, regularly uses Twitter to express his views and opinions. His handle, @SurjyaKMishra, have over 3,000 followers. Mishra does not shy away from expressing his intolerance towards TMC's rule in the state. Four out of the nine tweets put out by Mishra in April are regarding the ouster of TMC in West Bengal. His campaigning strategy is simple - slam the opponent (and the election commission)

Sujan Chakraborty, a prominent face and leader of the CPM, mostly tweets in Bengali. Charkraborty shares his party's manifesto on Twitter. One of his latest tweets promises better electricity across the state -

The CPM is also probably one of the only parties to use WhatsApp wisely. Sujan Chakraborty tweeted about reaching out to him on WhatsApp urging people to make suggestions and ask whatever questions they may have

“Facebook and Twitter have a democratic space where you can place your views within a few seconds and can reach lakhs of people within a minute. At times media houses are driven by their own policies, but in social media you are your boss, you can place your views, participate in a debate,” CPI-M state secretariat member Sridip Bhattacharya, who is in-charge of the social media segment of the CPI-M, said.

Even CPM's official twitter handle also does not miss an opportunity to rally for the ouster of TMC:

The CPM's Facebook page on a regular basis are uploading pics and posters of candidates who are contesting the elections.

BJP

BJP's West Bengal Twitter page, which goes by the handle @bjpbengal, does little to campaign for West Bengal. Their agenda is promoting Modi and it wouldn't be wrong to say that most of their twitter home page is filled with Modi's achievements, his visits, quotes and achievements of their party members. Their social media strategy for West Bengal stands no chance in front of the CPM and TMC.

Dilip Ghosh, BJP's key candidate, also has a social media presence and his Twitter handle does some rallying for himself and his party.