Telangana: Congress social media wing in the firing line after repeated blunders

The team’s lack of coordination, vision creating a dent in the government’s image, point out media outlets

Hyderabad: One of the most crucial factors that helped the Congress come to power in Telangana was their social media campaign, which publicised the six guarantees and other promises that were doled out before the November 2023 elections. Now, after a year in power, the same social media wing is turning out to be a major embarrassment for the party.

The party, which has been grappling with multiple issues at the same time, right from internal bickering to open mutiny by leaders and even statements by Congress MLAs against party Ministers, needed its social media wing to support it in these difficult times. However, when the party desperately required the social media to up its game, the wing failed it, and quite pathetically at that by causing one of the most embarrassing situations for the party with an online poll that boomeranged.

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Social media, for every political party, has been playing a crucial role in creating hype, promoting government schemes and policies for ruling parties and also for targeting opposition camps. Using memes, counters and tit-for-tat responses, tug-of-war issues are made viral with exclusive hashtags. However, the ruling Congress party’s social media wing has been weak at the game, something that party supporters too acknowledge. Lack of coordination and lack of vision is being pointed out by media outlets that have for long been supporting the Congress, airing concerns that this was creating a big dent in the government’s image.

The latest classic example was the online poll on the official X handle of the Telangana Congress, where netizens showed their preference for the BRS regime when the purpose of the poll itself was to drum up support for the Congress regime. The poll exposed the Congress social media team’s weakness, with many in political circles pointing out the ineffectiveness of the team. The criticism has reportedly prompted the high command to think of sacking the social media head.

Swetcha, a Congress leaning publication, has in fact pointed in a recent article that the BRS actually made good use of the poll outcome and also derived positive mileage out of the entire exercise at the cost of the Congress. The article also pointed out that it is the duty of the CPRO, digital media and marketing heads, Congress media communications teams and social media teams to promote the government schemes and decisions taken by the Chief Minister. All these people have to sit together and identify an issue or a scheme which needs to be promoted on a large scale and designs have to be framed accordingly, it said, pointing out that instead of this, the Congress teams were working individually and in isolation without any coordination.

“The sole intention appears to be garnering personal attention and ensuring that other teams do not score big. Teams are basking in personal glory and presume they are immune from any action from the party,” the article said, going to the extent of saying that emphasis was on personal promotion than deriving political mileage for the government and the Congress party.

“The CPRO, digital media team and communications in-charge are least bothered to compile data and share the positive angles with I& PR teams to take the same to the people. They even fear that others might get the credit, if their suggestions and recommendations were considered in different aspects,” it added.

There is also criticism that the Congress, which was failing in using social media effectively, was also seeing its social media wing falling into traps laid by the BRS and BJP. There was no strong leadership, it is being pointed out, with the call getting stronger for a cleansing operation on the entire social media team.