MP Elections 2023: In preparation for Mission 2023, prominent leaders from the BJP and Congress have taken charge of the media battleground, as evident on social media. Whether it’s a major issue or a minor one, leaders from both parties are actively engaging with each other on social media, and the political atmosphere in the state of Madhya Pradesh is heating up.
It’s clear that social media is the most significant medium to reach the majority of voters in the state. Therefore, both the BJP and Congress have devised strategies to make their presence felt on social media. Both parties’ media teams are highly active on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Koo, and others, continuously targeting their opponents.
The BJP’s state spokesperson, Ashish Agrawal, plays a particularly aggressive role in attacking the Congress. Even the party’s other spokespersons and panelists are actively involved on social media, constantly criticizing the opposition. Some spokespersons have been assigned responsibilities at the district and divisional levels.
On the other hand, the Congress, led by state Congress president Kamal Nath’s media advisor Piyush Bable and the head of the media department KK Mishra, is also launching continuous attacks on the BJP, maintaining a swift response. While Bable prefers to stay behind the scenes, he motivates party spokespersons and the media team to consistently criticize the BJP and the government.
National Spokespersons Deployed in the War Room
The importance of media centers in elections can be gauged by the fact that national spokespersons have been deployed in the war rooms. Congress has initiated war rooms not only in Bhopal but also in Gwalior, Indore, Ujjain, and Jabalpur. Each war room has assigned national spokespersons. Similarly, the BJP has also entrusted national spokespersons with responsibilities in the Bhopal media center. The central team is completely dedicated to Madhya Pradesh BJP, targeting the opposition on various fronts.
Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Pradesh Congress in-charge, is consistently attacking the BJP. In contrast, four spokespersons, Ragini Nayak, Alok Sharma, Charan Singh Sapra, and Surendra Singh Rajput, have been sent to different regions in Madhya Pradesh to handle media duties. These spokespersons are coordinating with the state Congress media department.
High-Tech Media Centers
Both the BJP and Congress have well-equipped media centers. The BJP has set up a modern media center at the newly constructed commercial complex in Bhopal. It provides Wi-Fi, computers, and other digital facilities for journalists. The media team is available for journalists at all times, and teams are stationed in different parts of the state to monitor political activities. The party’s media team is highly active on social media and consistently targets opposition parties.
In contrast, the Congress has not established a similar media center. Press-related activities are managed from the state Congress office. Currently, there are no plans to enhance media facilities like those of the BJP.
BJP’s Media Team
The BJP’s media team in Madhya Pradesh includes Ashish Agrawal (State Coordinator), Govind Malu, Milan Bhargava, Rajpal Sisodiya, Shashikant Shukla, Pankaj Chaturvedi, Dr. Durgesh Keswani, Neha Bagga, Prahlad Kushwah, Narendra Saluja, Guleraj Sheikh, Yashpal Singh Sisodiya (MLA), Archana Chitnis, Mahendra Singh Solanki (MP), Sumer Singh Solanki (MP), K.P. Yadav (MP), Sanwar Patel, Ram Dagore (MLA), Dr. Hitesh Vajpayee, and Brjesh Pandey, among others. They serve various roles within the media department, and some are highly active on social media, while others focus on different aspects of media engagement.
Congress’s Media Team
The Congress media team in Madhya Pradesh is led by KK Mishra (Head of Media Department) and Abhay Dubey (State Media Coordinator). Other members include Sangeeta Sharma, Ajay Singh Yadav, Abbas Hafiz, Bhupendra Gupta, Vibha Bindu Dagor, Avneesh Bundela, Santosh Singh Gautam, Arpita Sharma, Mithun Ahirwar, and others. The state spokespersons include Mrinal Pant, Swadesh Sharma, Mithun Ahirwar, Avneesh Bundela, and Durmendra Sharma, among others. They work with the coordination of the Pradesh media team, and while some are active on social media, others are more involved in offline media activities.
In conclusion, the media is playing a significant role in the political landscape of Madhya Pradesh, with both the BJP and Congress actively engaging on social media and maintaining well-equipped media centers to ensure their message reaches the voters effectively.