With the municipal corporation elections scheduled in 29 cities, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, on January 15, and the nomination process set to begin from Tuesday, aspiring candidates across parties are increasingly turning to professional social media teams to boost their visibility and connect with voters.
Political workers ensure that even brief visits, meetings, or neighborhood interactions are photographed or filmed and uploaded promptly to their social media handles. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)
From daily Instagram Reels shot in a cinematic style to curated Facebook posts and WhatsApp broadcasts, social media has emerged as a key campaign tool, especially for reaching younger voters. Political workers ensure that even brief visits, meetings, or neighborhood interactions are photographed or filmed and uploaded promptly to their social media handles.
Party leaders say this allows them to bypass traditional constraints of mainstream media coverage and maintain a continuous presence among voters.
Senior leaders across parties have also adopted the strategy. Congress president Arvind Shinde, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) city unit president Prashant Jagtap, former deputy mayor Siddharth Dhende, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) city unit president Dheeraj Ghate are among those actively using social media to amplify their outreach.
“Social media is effective. A large number of youths are active on these platforms and spend a lot of time on their mobile phones. Keeping that in mind, we need to use every available medium to reach voters,” Ghate said.
Jagtap said social media offers an interactive alternative to conventional campaigning. “It helps us reach voters directly. People respond through comments and likes. Mainstream media cannot cover every small event because of limitations, but on social media, we can share even minor activities and local issues,” he said.
BJP leader Amol Balwadkar said he regularly posts updates to connect with targeted voter groups. “I try to highlight civic issues as well as development work so that voters are aware of what I am doing,” he said.
The demand has also created opportunities for local content creators. Omkar Kamble, a freelance social media content creator, said he has signed monthly contracts with two candidates. “I am making reels and posts for them. All the shooting is done on my mobile phone and uploaded directly on their pages,” he said.
Political observers said the heavy reliance on social media reflects a shift in civic electioneering, where visibility, frequency of messaging, and online engagement are increasingly shaping voter perception, particularly in urban constituencies like Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
