BIHAR ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS: A SOCIAL MEDIA WAR BETWEEN SUPPORTERS

BIHAR ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS: A SOCIAL MEDIA WAR BETWEEN SUPPORTERS

13-SEP-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------The Bihar Assembly elections have been announced. However, with the exception of Ara, a Jansuraaj seat, no major party or alliance has yet announced its candidate. While some parties have announced candidates for their respective constituencies, candidates contesting from various parties are already active in their respective constituencies, including Patna and Delhi.

It is expected that most of the candidates will be announced by all alliances and parties within the next day or two. The nomination process for all Bhojpur constituencies begins today, Friday, as part of the first phase of voting.

Meanwhile, while the parties have not finalized the candidate names, their supporters are actively participating on social media in support of the ticket contenders. People are posting prolifically on Facebook and Instagram in support of their favorite candidates.

A war of words has broken out among supporters on social media, with no one lagging behind in commenting on posts. They are also making claims about their favorite candidate getting the ticket and winning. Among these, the majority are claiming to contest on an RJD ticket, while the number of candidates contesting on a BJP ticket is also increasing.

It should be noted that no party or alliance has announced the names of candidates for any seat yet. However, people are promoting their favorite candidates for certain seats. Recently, the Sandesh Assembly seat has been the most talked about.

The RJD is considered a sure shot candidate from this constituency under the All India Alliance, but the candidate has not yet been announced. Supporters are discussing the names of current MLA Kiran Devi, her husband, former MLA Arun Yadav, and their son, Dipu Ranawat.

Meanwhile, Agiaon Block Chief Mukesh Yadav, who supported them in previous elections, is taking a different stance this time, visiting several villages in Sandesh daily and claiming to have received the ticket. His supporters are also posting on social media. Meanwhile, some RJD workers are discussing a third front candidate contesting as independents.

There is also talk that rebels from major parties could play spoilsport. Supporters of the JDU and BJP are active in Sandesh. It is not yet fully decided whether the BJP or JDU will contest the Sandesh Assembly seat from the NDA. However, this seat is already in the JDU quota, and MLC Radhacharan Sah has begun touring the area, announcing his candidacy.

Supporters of Baban Yadav, who recently joined the JDU, are also making claims. Social media is also buzzing about the BJP contesting from Sandesh, and supporters of Kaushal Yadav and Mukesh Singh Rana, along with Ramdinesh Yadav, are also making claims. Ramdinesh Yadav's supporters have even started posting viral posts about Sandesh going to the BJP quota and the ticket being finalized.

However, this is only happening on social media. No party or alliance has yet made a final decision or announced it. Several RJD contenders are also being discussed in Jagdishpur and Barhara. Social media posts are being circulated in support of several RJD contenders for the Jagdishpur assembly seat.

Former MLA Bhai Dinesh and Rajiv Ranjan alias Pinku Bhaiya, supporters of former Ara mayor Sunil Yadav and the son of current MLA Rambishun Singh Lohia are also posting claims of receiving the ticket. In Barhara, several RJD contenders include former MLA Saroj Yadav, BD Singh, Rambabu Singh, and Sonali Singh.

Supporters of Raghupati Yadav and Saroj Yadav are reaching Rabri Devi's residence in Patna. However, there are hardly any posts from the Agiaon and Tarari assembly constituencies. Meanwhile, in Barhara, supporters of BJP MLA Raghvendra Pratap Singh and Suryabhan Singh and Ajay Singh are actively participating in social media campaigns in support of their respective leaders.

In Barhara, old posts are also being circulated to disparage each other. Allegations and counter-allegations are also being made. Posts are also being made continuously about the BJP's contenders for the Ara seat. Many of the posts are completely baseless. Nevertheless, people are enjoying these posts.

In Shahpur, the names of former BJP MLAs Munni Devi, Rakesh Ojha, Satish Bhatt, Santosh Pathak, and Gangadhar Pandey are being discussed, while the current RJD MLA Rahul Tiwari and RJD leader Hira Ojha are being widely discussed on social media.