Seema quit her job as a journalist a few months ago to pursue an unconventional line of work — running a digital campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP's) spokesperson and senior leader Captain Abhimanyu. And that too without a salary.
Why is she working without any remuneration? "Its not always about money. I firmly believe in the ideology of the party," comes the prompt reply.
Seema is not alone in her peer group to take on not-so-lucrative gigs with political parties. Hundreds of youth have jumped into the bandwagon to fight digital wars for different political parties and individual MPs ahead of the 16th Lok Sabha election. Some work full-time while others retain their full-time jobs and work in their spare time.
Ramesh Sharma (name changed), a manager at a multi-national firm, spends two to three hours everyday posting content on Twitter and Facebook for the Congress. "I monitor the news the rest of the day," he told dna. "I was handpicked by partymen as I was pretty active on Twitter and they were monitoring my posts for a few months." And does he make or spend money while being on social media for the party? "A phone, internet and laptop — things I use for personal use — are all that I need to work for the Congress. I don't take money from them. I truly want to support their cause," he said.
Seema said working for the BJP MP is a value addition to her career as a writer. "You get to learn how politics works. Today, I understand many issues much better. It gives maturity to my writing," she said.
What's also interesting is that these youngsters are getting increasingly younger. "Initially, people in the age group of 25 to 30 would approach us. However, in the past couple of months, we have had many interested participants in the 18 to 20 age group," said Gaurav Pandhi, who runs an association called With Congress. "Many college students in the 18 to 20 age group keep calling me. They want updated data on various issues. Many a times if there is an online propaganda against the party, these people prefer to respond with their arguments loaded with factual data," Pandhi told dna.
Another volunteer, 20-year-old Aman Priyadarshi, who works for Aam Admi Party (AAP), said it was because of the party that he got interested in politics. "They are very open about all the issues and much quicker in taking decisions. I do not get any monetary support from the party but look at what they gave us," said the Delhi School of Engineering student, referring to reduced water and electricity bills.
According to a study by the IRIS Foundation and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Indian democracy is on the cusp of a revolution led by social media users. "At a very conservative estimate, the fortunes of contestants seeking election to the next Lok Sabha from not less than 150 constituencies will be determined by Facebook users, making them the newest vote bank with the power to shape Indian politics," the study said.
These youngsters are helping the parties design their websites, maintain their Twitter and Facebook accounts, make their posts viral and attract more and more youth into the political process. Besides, the Indian electorate has never been younger. According to the Election Commission, 2.3 crore 18-19 year olds have been enrolled to vote out of a total 81.5 crore voters for the upcoming elections.
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