TMC candidates prefer personal interactions over social networking campaigns

Believing that meeting people in the grass-root level has no other alternative in building contacts, star Trinamool Congress candidates prefer to rely on door-to-door campaign urging people to cast votes in their favour instead of campaigning through social networking sites.

It may be mentioned that the party supremo Mamata Banerjee had always been insisting the leaders and workers of her party to work with the people in the grass-root level.

Unlike some candidates of the Opposition parties, a visit to the accounts in the social networking sites of star candidates of Trinamool Congress that include singer Soumitra Ray, cricketer Lakshmi Ratan Shukla and actor Soham Chakraborty show that they are far from using the platform to woo voters. There is not a single post by the candidates of Trinamool Congress that carries any political message or to seek votes from the mass.

Today internet service is available in almost every part of the state. So no one is digitally divided. Thus social networking sites are one of the most communicative and easiest ways to reach the voters. Keeping the explanation aside, Singer Soumitra Ray, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Chanchal Assembly constituency in Malda, said: “Can any social networking site build a 

relationship that can happen over a cup of tea in a roadside tea stall?”

“I am meeting people from all walks of life. Farmers are sharing how they have been benefitted in the past four and half years. Parents of the students who have been benefitted by the projects Kanyashree and Sabuj Sathi are blessing Mamata Banerjee,” said Ray adding that he was defeated in 2014 Lok Sabha poll when he had contested from Malda Uttar Lok Sabha constituency. He continued visiting the place in the past two years instead of taking information about the people there through social networking sites. There are many candidates of the Opposition parties, mainly those from the younger generation, who have changed the cover photographs of their accounts in social networking sites, to make people aware that they are candidates this time in the Assembly elections or to make people aware what will their party do if voted to power. Even posts to criticise or making scathing attack on their opponents are also done in various social networking sites. However, the star candidates of Trinamool Congress have continued posting the personal photographs during their visit to different places, but not related to the elections, or to pay homage to the soldiers those laid their life while protecting the mother land. Ray said: “No one can restrict anyone from posting political messages in social networking sites. It depends from person to person. But I personally feel it is better to work with the people in the grass-root level when you are contesting to become a people’s representative.”