MIM to tap online media for election campaign

Hyderabad, April 12: Known for its innovative approach to reach the masses, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is all set to launch a massive online campaign for the next elections.

Although the party’s floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi has already launched the campaign by initiating padayatras in his Chandrayangutta constituency, the MIM is gearing up to make contact with thousands of voters through online media and Social Networking websites.

In 2009 elections, MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi won the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat by securing 3,08,061 votes against his nearest rival Zahid Ali Khan of TDP who got 1,94,196 votes. Although Asaduddin Owaisi won the election with a majority of over one lakh votes, it was considered one of the toughest elections that the party had ever faced.

This time too, the sailing will be too rough for the MIM. In 2009, the party enjoyed the full backing of ruling Congress party and the then Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Siasat Editor Zahid Ali Khan was the sole, but strong opponent that the party faced. But this time, it will have to deal with multiple opponents. While the Congress party is eyeing on Hyderabad seat by fielding a strong candidate, the TDP is gearing up to achieve what it could not in 2009. The TRS will try to encash upon MIM’s anti-Telangana stand and the BJP will leave no stone unturned in trying to demonise the MIM leadership.

Therefore, in order to counter multiple opponents, the MIM will depend on online media, especially the Social Networking Sites like Facebook and YouTube. To begin with, using its cadre in Primary Units, the party will collect information on the tentative number of FaceBook users in each constituency. The MIM already has constituency-wise FB Accounts/Pages. Now this will be extended to Municipal Division-level. The cadre will encourage the local youth to join the party’s Accounts/Pages of their concerned division through which party’s messages or programmes would be disseminated.

“What we are planning is a huge task. It will be almost impossible to track FB users, who are also our potential voters, in each constituency. However, our target is to enroll at least one member from each family on FB,” a senior MIM leader told this website.

The MIM presently has over one lakh active members on the Facebook. Considering the fact that some accounts might be fake and a few others might be having multiple accounts, the party is aiming to enroll at least one lakh genuine users for an effective campaign.

The MIM is also planning to have tie-ups with leading news websites for its campaign. However, it needs to be seen as to how a party which survives on Urdu speaking voters manages to impress the English speaking netizens. Since a majority of MIM fans are young, they are well versed and therefore, it will not be difficult for the party to attract them towards it.