The Changing Face of Election Campaigning
Since the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, the popular forms of election campaigning have been, doorto-door canvassing, letter writing to influence the literate, celebrity endorsements, street plays, magic shows, talking dolls, films and the use of tele-link services to deliver prerecorded messages. Print, television, radio and the use of toys and trinkets also played an important role. The 2014 election campaign was significant in several ways. The remarkable change was the move from conventional methods to innovative methods like social media, crowd fundraising, digital rallies, and robocalls along with huge road rallies and holographic presence. The introduction of cutting-edge interactive websites and the use of YouTube, WhatsApp, and Google Hangouts for offline and online marketing were unprecedented. Social media has become the sole medium to conduct more targeted outreach online leveraging the growing digital population.The unprecedented internet diffusion in India with more than 800 million internet users and more than 462.0 million social media users in the year 2024 makes this platform apt for political campaigning and mobilization. While in-person mass campaign rallies are expensive, labourintensive and time-consuming, virtual campaigning could be an effective medium to reach out to voters given its ease of work and the ability to attract a much wider audience.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ban on physical rallies by the Election Commission further accentuated political campaigning through various social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Twitter played a key role in reaching out to the masses. WhatsApp groups of political parties were created to disseminate political messages and influence their voting choices. The ‘Digital Saathi’ app and ‘cell phone pramukhs’ were the WhatsApp efforts to promote public opinion in their favour. However, online misinformation campaigns, trolling and manipulation of political messages pose a serious threat to this large democratic process. Despite the shortcomings, social media continues to be the most effective campaigning method in this new generation to connect with the younger demographic. This trend is visible in not just general elections, but also in state assembly polls. Kerala, being a politically active society and a highly democratic state, has a vibrant and unique form of election campaigning. As opposed to other states, the nature of campaigning has been slightly different here and has also undergone a major shift over the years.
During earlier times, the conventional forms of campaigning were house visits, door-to-door campaigning, street-corner meetings, displaying posters, small meetings at bus stands and town centres, installing flag posts, and mic announcements. Unlike huge rallies and road shows in other states, there wasn’t any large-scale mobilization of people on roads.Interestingly, the small rallies and road shows of various parties were organized and disciplined so as not to create any havoc. Nevertheless, massive road shows and long rallies were later profound in the state, led by state leaders with a heavily crowded population carrying party symbols. The finale of the campaign, known as “Kottikalasham” will have even intense massive participation. A distinctive aspect of campaigning in Kerala even now is the exquisite calligraphic wall writings that bear the candidate’s name and the party emblem throughout the state.The 2016 Kerala Assembly election saw the proliferation of non-conventional methods of election campaigning like cleaning roads, go green policy, puppet shows, and playing outdoor sports like football. Social media has been one medium that politicians have significantly relied on for campaigning, especially since the 2016 Kerala assembly polls.
To make social media profiles easily available on smart phones, a candidate from Kottayam utilized Quick Response (QR) codes in his campaign posters—a first for Indian politicians. Even veteran politicians have taken to social media through Facebook posts and tweets. Recently, several Lok Sabha candidates in the state are turning to social media like Facebook to easily connect with youngsters and maiden voters. With the 18th Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, campaigning is going on in full swing. From rallies to road shows to online platforms, candidates all across India are engaged in meeting people directly and virtually. Interestingly, even social media influencers are involved as part of digital campaigns. Generally speaking, the online presence of the major and regional parties is on the rise. There is a huge potential for reaching the maximum number of voters online, but there are also challenges that need to be managed effectively. Yes, online campaigning can certainly increase political mobilization, but other forms of face-to-face meetings and gatherings will also be important. Nevertheless, online campaigning is an innovation in itself. Thus, the dynamics of the election campaign have undergone a tremendous transformation with a mix of social media and traditional means giving the election campaign a unique face.