States »SoutPosted at: Mar 26 2021 4:27PM TN Assembly polls: Dazzling digital war reaches dizzy heights
Chennai, Mar 26 (UNI) It’s an e-war!
The digital space is ablaze with all trappings of the Godzilla-Kong clash in Monster Verse, in so far as the
April six Tamil Nadu Assembly elections see two major Dravidian parties facing off in a battle--in a way, a
reboot or a rematch of their ancestors’ recently ended war. A battled inherited, so to speak!
While not giving up totally on the traditional roadshows to reach out to the people in person with all fanfare,
blaring horns and songs, fluttering flags and throaty speeches amid jostling crowds, the DMK and AIADMK
are now neck-deep in the splurge on the digitally glossy ads, which pop up, getting on the nerves of every
netizen manoeuvring labyrinths of Net.
DMK president M K Stalin, eyeing to return to power after a 10-year long gap, attired in whites is greeted in the
colorful ad against the powerful BGM with lyrics beginning with “Stalin comes calling, will give dawn” (‘Stalinthaan varraaru, vidiyal thara poraaru’ in Tamil).
The DMK ads have glossy shots of Stalin in the background of sun beams (Rising Sun is the party symbol) and shots of children fanning five fingers, elderly people sporting smiles, and women coming in clusters to the party leader.
Finally he asks voters: I am ready, are you ready? But unfortunately, he does not elaborate what he is ready for or the voters.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy, a professed farmer, folds his hands in a namaste with a broad smile at the end of montage shots of students, women, villagers, farmers exuding beaming smiles.
In the foreground the following words jut out: 7.5 quota in medical seats for government school students, free
laptop for 52.31 lakh students, 12.5 lakh women benefited from free mangalsutra, No 1 State in India Today survey…Finally the slogan appears: Vettrinadai Podum Thamizhagam (Tamil Nadu that’s triumphantly marching ahead).
Some political analysts, on condition of anonymity, said the Dravidian parties had no other go but to go digital
for today the youth in the 18-30 age group had the key to decide the success or failure of the parties in the
elections.
According to the Election Commission, the total population of Tamil Nadu is pegged at 6.26 crore with the young voters in the 18-29 age group numbering 1.37 crore, accounting for 21.86 per cent. The first time voters number over 13 lakh.
A psephological analysis of past elections shows both DMK and AIADMK not so apart, in terms of percentage of votes they had garnered.
In the 15th Assembly elections held in 2016, the margin between the vote percentages of both the parties was not so wide.
While the AIADMK, which captured power for the second successive term, had got 1,78,06,490 votes (40.88 per cent) and the DMK which finished second, had recorded 1,36,70,511 votes (31.39 percentage).
It means that the DMK had missed the victory, just short of a little over 9.49 per cent.
Whereas in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK recorded 32.76 percentage of votes and the AIADMK 18.48 percent, the margin being 14.28 per cent. The DMK bagged 38 seats, leaving only one to the ruling party.
This explains why both parties are now obsessed with digital campaign, talking their online way into the young hearts what with the voters (21.86 per cent) having the potential of tilting the scales either way.
About the first-time voters probably having a say in the success or failure of both Dravidian parties, an academic research done in 2020 says the following: “The First Time Voters are increasing in a huge rate which surely is going to play a huge role in the upcoming elections. They are well educated and they know the How’s and Why’s behind every move the political parties make.”
But the money that the Dravidian majors has been spending to woo the young voters is jaw-dropping. According to the Google Transparency Report, the DMK spent Rs.10.43 crore for digital ad campaign from February 19, 2019 to March 25, 2021 and the AIADMK, along with the Crayon Advertising, spent Rs 1.84 crore.
No wonder, topping the list of the parties spending for online campaign is the BJP (Rs.16.18 crore).
UNI XC GV JAL 1626