Jammu: In an era of information technology and ever growing social media impact, the Icons and Social Media Influencers have proved to be the biggest assets in the Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The J&K Election Office appreciably utilized the social media influencers and several icons as ambassadors as a strategy for voter appeal which is a powerful approach towards increasing the voter engagement and voter turnout.
The voter awareness video appeals by the Icons with views in tens of thousands kept multiplying with every passing day, their relatability, familiarity, celebrity influence, shade identity, cultural and lingual relevance contributed a lot in motivating, educating and empowering the electors to cast their vote and strengthen the democracy. The digital reach of the icons/influencers had a strong presence in social media which increased the digital footprint of election related campaign and SVEEP activities to the tech-savvy young generation.
The role of PWD Icons received overwhelming response as they were able to strike an immediate chord with the voters through their motivating and humane voter participation appeals. Celebrity sportspersons, accomplished musicians, distinguished academicians, social media influencers and media personalities that had huge following on their respective social media handles gave the much needed impetus to the SVEEP campaign in the UT.
“Influencers are incredibly instrumental in encouraging the voter participation as it is the easiest and most effective way to reach all the voters through various Social Media Apps”’ opined the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K.
The Election Commission of India’s theme, 'No Voter to be Left Behind' and the slogans like 'Your Vote Your Right' became the much talked topics about election mantra and resonated on different information dissemination platforms. Apart from their personal initiatives, the Icons regularly appeared on radio shows and public events to garner support for the SVEEP campaign.
In Jammu and Kashmir, around 62 icons at district level and 18 at UT level had been designated for mass awareness of general public. The icons had been designated for all categories like General Icon, Icons for Women, Icons for PwD and Transgender. The icons played a great role in voter education and increasing voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir by promoting their audio/video messages on social media.
Some of the famous icons were Subedar Chain Singh, gold medalist in 7th Asian Air Gun Championship Kuwait and 2016 South Asian Games, Sherlin Seth, Miss India 2017, Sadia Tariq, 3rd Open India Taekwondo champion, Javed Ahmad Tak, Padmashree awardee, social activist, Parveez Rasool and Umran Malik, International Cricketer, Fasial Ali Dar, an Indian martial arts coach, Chandeep Sudan, Indian Athlete, 2nd Time’s World Para Taekwondo champion, Kabul Bukhari, renowned singer and musician, Ankush Sabharwal, Tech Entrepreneur and AI (Artificial Intelligence ) expert.
Introduction of icons in SVEEP campaigns had a significant impact on voters in various ways. The use of popular public figures like actors, sportspersons or social activists as icons resonated with the local people. When voters see someone they admire or identify urging them to vote, it inspires them to participate in elections. Social Icons, being from the local region, make the message more relatable and culturally relevant to the voters, helping bridge the gap between the Election Commission’s outreach and the local population, he added.