Three firsts in Haryana's history

NEW DELHI: One--the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, which has a following of more than 60 lakh in the state, openly announced support for a political party, the BJP. Two--the Prime Minister acknowledged the "significance and influence" of khap panchayats. Three--social media, especially WhatsApp and Facebook, were used extensively in campaigning. All three were part of a well-planned BJP strategy to supplement the boost to its fortunes provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign in the state.
Realising that the party needed to gain from anti-incumbency sentiment against the Congress and the not-so-favourable image of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the BJP top brass used social media to woo urban voters, business and the youth. From cornering the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in Haryana to attacking Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD, BJP workers launched a sustained and aggressive online campaign.

Facebook and more so WhatsApp were used to make inroads in an electorate where BJP has been a fringe player until now. The social media campaign circulated Modi's speeches focusing on development and growth.

"Slogans, multimedia messages and videos were made to apprise the voters of Modi-ji's vision for the state. Though we did counter opposition leaders, we made sure that it does not appear as a hate campaign," said a senior BJP worker. "Such wide and aggressive use of social media in campaigning has never happened in the state."

Modi reached out to khap panchayats, which are perceived as decisive institutions at the rural level. "Main aapki sardaari ko naman karta hoon (I respect your authority)," Modi said at one rally. It's for the first time that a political leader, and that too the Prime Minister, made a statement in support of khap panchayats.

Political parties have generally given them a wide berth owing to some of their bizarre social diktats. Modi's statement caused a stir among the khaps and quite possibly converted into votes for BJP, some analysts said. BJP president Amit Shah was instrumental in securing the undisputed support of the Dera Sacha Sauda. As first reported by ET, he met its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on October 1 to win his backing.