Due to the increasing number of mobile phone users, political parties are now focusing on social media along with street campaigning.

The style of election campaigning in Delhi is changing rapidly, and due to the increasing number of mobile phone users, political parties are now emphasizing on social media along with street campaigning. The three major political parties contesting the Delhi Assembly elections had sought permission to air 519 advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook, X and YouTube till January 23. After investigation by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, 350 advertisements were approved for airing, while 166 advertisements were rejected for not conforming to the factual standards.

BJP has been at the forefront in getting permission to broadcast advertisements on social media. BJP had sent 49 applications seeking permission to air 293 advertisements. According to data till January 23, the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer approved 207 advertisements, while 86 advertisements were rejected.

Aam Aadmi Party had sent 28 applications seeking permission for 200 advertisements, out of which 121 were approved. Congress sent 9 applications seeking permission to air 24 advertisements, of which 22 were approved, while 2 advertisements were rejected for not conforming to the standards.

According to TRAI data, the number of mobile connections in Delhi is more than the population. There are more than 5 crore mobile connections in Delhi, which means that on an average every person has two mobile connections. In such a situation, it has become easier to convey the message to the public through social media.

Facts are judged on these parameters

According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, it is important to follow several rules while making advertisements for election campaign on social media. These include the use of military uniforms and logos, statements related to the President, and images or statements that affect the integrity of the country. Ads that do not meet these criteria are not approved. There is less than a week left for the election campaign, and all the political parties will put their full strength into the campaign. There is a possibility of increase in publicity war on social media in the last week.

Also spent in 2020 elections

Even in the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, political parties had spent a lot on social media. According to the data, Rs 1.99 crore was spent on election campaigning on Facebook in a month. BJP spent the highest amount of Rs 31.61 lakh, followed by Congress with Rs 13.67 lakh, Rs 14.73 lakh on a page named My Delhi-My Pride and Rs 11.92 lakh on another page supported by AAP. Rs 78 lakh was spent on Facebook in the last week of election campaign.