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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Uttar+Pradesh+assembly+polls&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Uttar Pradesh assembly polls</a> are just round the corner and political parties are gearing up for the seven-phase <keyword id="6355644" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="elections">elections</keyword> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Bharatiya+Janata+Party&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Bharatiya Janata Party</a>'s war room in Lucknow is in full attack mode. They are looking forward to 10 "mega rallies, by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=PM+Narendra+Modi&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">PM Narendra Modi</a>. The tech area is manned by senior leaders and information technology professionals, including some from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). They are directing massive messaging efforts, like WhatsApp posts that can reach 12 lakh voters at one go. 
 
The party headquarters also monitors video vans and campaigners touring the vast state on motorbikes. The party claims the four- and two-wheelers have reached out to 30 lakh people so far. 
 
There priority right now is planning Modi's rallies. 
 
"We are proposing one rally of PM Modi during each of the seven phases of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=UP+elections&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">UP elections</a>. There may be two rallies in a phase too. The first may be in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Muzaffarnagar&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Muzaffarnagar</a> or <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Aligarh&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Aligarh</a> towards the end of this month,” JPS Rathore, <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> state vice-president, told ET. 
 
Four hundred video vans and 1,650 motorbike-riding campaigners are building the 'buzz', war room staffers said. They said 20 lakh 'aspiration' postcards have been collected from voters; these messages are being analysed and will feed into BJP's manifesto. 
 
BJP's Uttar Pradesh IT head Sanjay Rai also said that the state unit runs 8,000 <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=WhatsApp&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">WhatsApp</a> groups for six regions, and boasts a total reach of 12 lakh people. 
 
"WhatsApp is the most popular networking application in the state - around 4.5 crore people use it. We can reach 12 lakh people with our message with the push of a button. The message is forwarded by them invariably to other groups they may be part of,” Rai told ET. 
 
A 110-seater call centre is also operational in the war room. Each operator makes 250 calls daily, talking to booth committee heads, and then creates feedback reports. 
 
BJP has 1.4 lakh booths in UP. There's also a research centre and an electronic media reporting department. These outfits analyse local issues that can influence campaign messaging. A team of over a dozen generates content for UP BJP on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=social+media&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">social media</a>. The state unit says its Facebook page reaches 1.3 crore. 
 
BJP leaders say apps detailing the party's poll pitch can be downloaded quickly - three apps in 15 seconds - from devices available in the party's district offices. Camps set up at some rallies will also offer this facility. 
 However, old-style campaign tactics have not been abandoned. On January 13, BJP is organising 'Mati <keyword id="4057046" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tilak-pratigya">Tilak Pratigya</keyword>' events at 75 locations in the state. The party says 5,000 farmers are expected to turn up at each location. Each farmer is supposed to get a tilak (a mark on the forehead), which will represent, BJP leaders say, the party's pledge to "solve, farmers' issues.

IITians are helping BJP in the UP elections.
Here’s a look at the war room

<ul><li>WhatsApp will play a crucial role in the Indian general <keyword id="3383007" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-2019">election 2019</keyword>.</li><li>Aside from misinformation, the primary concern is that WhatsApp groups will be used to exploit personal for political gain.</li><li>Users in rural India, in particular, have increased since the last general election in 2014. </li></ul>As the world’s largest democratic exercise kicks off in India, the influence of social media on general election in 2019 may be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-elections-2019-election-commission-to-closely-monitor-social-media-regulate-all-political-ads/articleshow/68351473.cms">even bigger</a> than it was in 2014. WhatsApp, in particular, is a concern considering that India is its largest market with over 200 million monthly active users and 52% of smartphone users reported using it as a news source in one week. 
 
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 Not only does that usage outrank <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/snapchat-partners-with-tinder-to-avoid-facebook-like-catastrophe/articleshow/68735964.cms">Snapchat</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-is-reportedly-bringing-in-local-it-firms-to-moderate-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/67344852.cms">Facebook</a> Messenger, but it’s also much higher <a href="https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2019-03/India_DNR_FINAL.pdf">compared</a> to other countries around the world as per the India Digital News Report by Reuters. Officials from the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bjps-5-year-challenge-follows-facebooks-10-year-challenge/articleshow/67586112.cms">Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)</a> have even <a href="https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/book-extract/india-whatsapp-election">dubbed</a> the upcoming elections as the ‘WhatsApp Elections’. The issue with ‘<keyword id="2479020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fake-news">fake news</keyword>’ on WhatsApp In a country where people generally <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-has-more-fake-news-than-any-other-country-in-the-world-survey/articleshow/67868418.cms">don’t trust</a> the news anyway, the increase in the circulation of fake news has 57% of Indians are concerned about what is real and what is fake on the internet. Even their reasons for being concerned range from facts being manipulated to suit a particular agenda to unwittingly being duped by satire content. 
 
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 Not only is the spread of misinformation a concern, there’s also the burgeoning issue of personal data being exploited for political ends — an issue that has only gotten more grave after the Cambridge Analytica data breach <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-was-warned-about-cambridge-analytica-issues-months-earlier-than-previously-disclosed/articleshow/68529933.cms">scandal</a> took place in 2018 where data was used to influence the outcome of the 2016 US Presidential election. Last year, BBC Research found that nationalism was the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nationalism-main-causes-of-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/66591404.cms">driving force</a> behind a lot of the fake news in India. Rather than verify facts, content sharers assert that they’re only bringing the ‘right version’ of the story into the light. BJP <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bjp-plans-a-whatsapp-campaign-for-2019-lok-sabha-election/story-lHQBYbxwXHaChc7Akk6hcI.html">reportedly</a> assigned some 900,000 people to the specific task of localised WhatsApp campaigning. Amit Shah, the party president, apparently asked state units to compile a list of voters who have smartphones for every polling station. Congress, the opposing party, is focusing on Facebook to uploading their campaign content but even for them, distribution is <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/advertising/battling-bjps-mainbhichowkidar-congress-to-enter-social-media-campaign-arena-next-week/articleshow/68506320.cms?from=mdr">dependant</a> on WhatsApp. Rural India More than half of the Indian population resides in rural India, And, since 2014, the usage of WhatsApp by rural India has boomed in particular alongside more and more people coming online. The Digital Empowerment Foundation <a href="http://defindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/WhatsApp-Rural-Study_V3.pdf">found</a> that nearly half of the respondents report that almost everyone in their village is a WhatsApp user. 
 
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 The issue is not that more people are online but that increased usage of WhatsApp has made it a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/India-threatens-WhatsApp-with-legal-action-after-hoaxes-on-the-app-led-to-lynchings/articleshow/65062390.cms">tempting 
 
platform</a> to disseminate misinformation, even though most rural users believe that other platforms are more trustworthy as a news source. 
 
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 That being said not many question the sender of forwarded messages and one fourth of users even pass along forwards after reading them. 
 
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 Even so, the majority of the rural population doesn’t trust information received via WhatsApp too easily. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype=""><cdata><![CDATA[
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 Despite WhatsApp putting in a 5 message <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-restricts-message-forwarding-in-an-attempt-to-reduce-fake-news-lynchings/articleshow/65073335.cms">restriction</a> on forwards and running a number of awareness <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-has-a-new-radio-campaign-to-counter-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/65606213.cms">campaigns</a> around fake news, the issue remains that due their <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-government-wants-to-tap-into-your-whatsapp-messages-other-social-media/articleshow/64979461.cms">end-to-end encryption</a> of messages it’s difficult to find out where a message may have originated. A lot of the time, the information isn’t even shard by official political party accounts, but unofficial groups that have an indirect political affiliation. They also recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-facebook-put-up-more-defensive-measures-in-the-face-of-increasing-fake-news/articleshow/68704503.cms">introduced</a> their own tipline called Checkpoint that can let users know if a particular piece of news is true, false, misleading or disputed. Technically, it’s a research project to ‘study the phenomenon of misinformation’ so not everyone will get a response. All in all, despite all the new rules, experts believe that they will have a <a href="http://time.com/5512032/whatsapp-india-election-2019/">negligible effect</a> on the group chats that already exist on the platform where propaganda of all colours flourish, often, at the expense of facts. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-instagram-whatsapp-2019-elections-india/articleshow/68264695.cms">Social networking sites may have more to answer for ahead of the elections in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-group-new-feature-asks-for-user-consent/articleshow/68708123.cms">Finally, WhatsApp will demand ‘consent’ before adding people to random groups</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-whats-up-with-kimbho-the-indian-messaging-app-that-wants-to-take-on-whatsapp/articleshow/64506716.cms">Here’s what’s up with Kimbho, the Indian messaging app that wants to take on WhatsApp</a>

One messaging app is affecting voter opinions in India more than other media put together

The Congress alleged on Thursday that the Modi government has been "caught snooping" after <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> said that journalists and human rights activists in India have been targets of surveillance, as it urged the Supreme Court to hold the Centre accountable over the issue. Facebook-owned WhatsApp said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli <keyword id="48511" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spyware">spyware</keyword> Pegasus. "Modi govt caught snooping! Appalling but not Surprising! After all, BJP Govt- 1. Fought against our right to privacy. 2. Set up a multi crore Surveillance Structure until stopped by SC. SC must take immediate cognisance and issue notice to BJP government," Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said in a tweet. "A government that spies on journalists/activists/Opposition leaders and treats its own citizens like criminals has lost the right to lead in our democracy. We urge the SC to take suo motu cognizance of these illegal activities and to hold this government to account," he said in another tweet. WhatsApp said it was suing <keyword id="3598670" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NSO-Group">NSO Group</keyword>, an Israeli surveillance firm, that is reportedly behind the technology that helped unnamed entities' spies to hack into phones of roughly 1,400 users. These users span across four continents and included diplomats, political dissidents, journalists and senior government officials. However, it did not say on whose behest the phones of journalists and activists across the world were targeted. Tagging a media report which claimed that 1.3 million Indian payment card details are up for sale on the dark web, Surjewala also alleged that "data theft and data fraud" has become the norm since Modi government came to power. "Is this why Modi ji calls Data the new Oil (for BJP Machine?). 1.3 million Indian Payment Card Details are up for sale on Dark Web putting the card holders vulnerable to yet another synchronised fraud," he said. ASK SOM

Indian Supreme Court asked to hold government accountable for WhatsApp hack after accusations of 'snooping'

Indian PM <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> is known to be quite tech-savvy in his life, and he has never shied away from showing off his love for technology. 
 
Recently, Modi wanted to interact with his ministers, about the 70 pro-poor government initiatives that he wants to be explained in simple terms to people for the 70th Independence Day celebrations. However, since Modi didn’t want to wait for the weekly Cabinet meeting, he sent a message to the ministers to a private group of ministers that he himself administers on the Narendra Modi mobile application, to which many of his ministers promptly replied. 
 
Modi's Digital Cabinet, which is not visible to the public on the My Network section of the Na-Mo app, was started almost two months ago. The app allows the ministers to interact with the PM on several ideas and programmes. Another second private group on the app has only BJP’s MPs as its members. 
 
"Unlike WhatsApp, it is a secure group as it is on our own servers," an official told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/modis-digital-cabinet-namo-mobile-app-to-tap-ministers-mps/articleshow/53482384.cms">ET</a>. 
 
<a href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2014/09/27/modi-un-speech_wide-cb3491debeb89ce1fb5a6e59656a8288579b2ed1.jpg?s=1400">Image source</a>

Digital NaMo: Modi has a mobile app to talk to his cabinet

<ul><li>India scored 55 on a scale of 100 which measures freedom on the internet. </li><li>According to Freedom House's annual report, the Indian elections were only 'partly free'. </li><li>The report alleges the BJP and Congress employed 'armies' to spread <keyword id="535763" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Misinformation">misinformation</keyword> and propaganda during the general election earlier this year. </li></ul>Internet freedom around the world is declining, and India is no exception. Digital authoritarianism and unregulated areas of social media are being used to distort politics and implement societal control. "Leading political parties deployed bots and armies of volunteers to spread misinformation and propaganda," according to '<a href="https://www.freedomonthenet.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/11042019_Report_FH_FOTN_2019_final_Public_Download.pdf">Freedom on the Net</a>' annual report. It rates the Indian election as only being 'partly free', giving India a score of 55 out of 100 in terms of its freedom online. During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-elections-2019-code-of-ethics-for-social-media-platforms/articleshow/68502882.cms">2019 general election</a> in India, the primary national candidates — the Bharatiya Janata Party (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bjps-5-year-challenge-follows-facebooks-10-year-challenge/articleshow/67586112.cms">BJP</a>) and the Indian National Congress (INC) — used WhatsApp and Facebook to push their message. The BJP deployed an estimated 1.2 million 'die-hard supporters' versus Congress' 800,000 to create misinformation and then spread it online. According to the report, social media — which was once the flag bearer for free speech and leveled the playing field for civic discussion — is taking away fundamental freedoms of individuals. The 'NaMo' app "Millions of users were flooded with misleading and inflammatory content on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NaMo app, which had been marketed to all Indians as a way to keep up with official government news,” according to Freedom House. The investigation shows that 1.3 million cadets with the India National Cadet Corps were encouraged to download the app by their superiors. But the app is not impartial. It's owned by Modi and operated by the BJP. Other than the ingrained bias, a researcher revealed that the Namo app was exploiting user data and sending personal information to a behavioural analytics company. Shaping public opinion Political leaders employed agencies and individuals to reshape online opinions in many countries, including India. These agencies work like online trolls with the purpose of creating political unrest. They build large audiences around similar interests but lace their political message with false or inflammatory content to incite a reaction — and they do so across multiple platforms simultaneously. Freedom House found that the rise of populism and far-right extremism has grown at the same time as hyperpartisan online mobs. Another report by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nationalism-main-causes-of-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/66591404.cms">BBC Research</a> points to hypernationalism being the main driving force behind India's <keyword id="2479020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fake-news">fake news</keyword> menace. Social surveillance Even before the elections, the right to freedom was curtailed by individuals who spoke out against the ruling party being accused of sedition. Others were detained for violating the National Security Act. Between 2017 to 2018, <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Politics/sWTiTg8jscRZpKwSPN25UN/Prisoners-of-memes-social-media-victims.html">50 such arrests</a> were made. Recently, the government is being called out for 'snooping' on its citizens using NSO Group's spyware, Pegasus. This is the same software Facebook is accusing of being behind the WhatsApp hack in May. Earlier this week, Google, Facebook and Twitter were ordered by the Delhi High Court to remove all defamatory posts to do with Ramdev — not just in India but anywhere globally. <a href="http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/860700/Social+Media/Delhi+High+Court+Orders+Removal+Of+All+Posts+Defamatory+To+Ramdev+Globally">Experts</a> are worried that this sets a dangerous precedent of removing content posted online without any geographical limits. According to the report, India will also be one of the attendees of the Dubai Trade Show 2020 where companies will showcase their solutions for social media surveillance. One of them — Knowlesys, a Chinese company — will be demonstrating how its technology can monitor messages, profiles and locations of a group of targets, including how to 'monitor public opinion for the election'. Another company called Semptian charges between $1.5 million to $2.5 million to monitor the online activities of five billion people. As the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) improve — so does the extent for surveillance. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nationalism-main-causes-of-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/66591404.cms">Hyper-nationalism behind India's fake news menace: Report</a>

India’s online freedom is threatened by political parties using 'armies' to spread misinformation

<ul><li>Shashi Tharoor, the head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT), has called on Facebook to respond to allegations of ignoring hate speech in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). </li><li>The allegations come at a time when the social networking giant is already in hot water in the US over market power. </li><li>Congress has accused BJP and its affiliate the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of being in cahoots with Facebook to propogate one-sided content.</li></ul> Facebook and WhatsApp have come under the scanner in India again, this time for ignoring hate speech in order to rake in more money from its business in India by siding with the party in power, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They may face scrutiny by a Parliamentary panel after the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-hate-speech-india-politics-muslim-hindu-modi-zuckerberg-11597423346">Wall Street Journal</a> reported, citing sources, that Indian politician T. Raja Singh's hateful posts against Rohingya Muslim immigrants was allowed to stay on the platform because Facebook didn't want to be at odds with the BJP. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT), headed by Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor, has called on the social networking giant to respond to these allegations. <div type="twitter" handle="ShashiTharoor" handlename="Shashi Tharoor" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1280501371431800833/aoWxPcWK_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1317" retweetcount="261" status="Our Parliamentary committee will, in the normal course, consider testimony under the topic “Safeguarding citizens’… https://t.co/GJ48dmvzIk" createdat="1597580619000" id="1294973094038089728"></div> The demand for a probe comes after Facebook along with Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google were grilled by the US government over market power. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77268690" title="Newly surfaced emails show how ruthlessly Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google built their businesses and ate up smaller companies" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Congress demands probe Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the party in power, the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP), and its affiliate Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of manipulating Facebook to spread news. He demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into alleged violations by the social media platform and its messaging service. "BJP and RSS control Facebook and WhatsApp in India. They spread fake news and hatred through it and use it to influence the electorate," he tweeted. Not just Facebook, but Congress has also asked the government to clarify any "quid pro quo" it may have had with WhatsApp and Facebook and shed light on what type of business dealings the two had with the government. Manipulating Facebook "There are 40 crore Indians on WhatsApp and over 28 crore on Facebook. So, a probe is necessary into the commercial dealings, propagation of hate content, and connection of Facebook and WhatsApp employees with the BJP," said Congress spokesperson and former Union Minister Ajay Maken said during a virtual press conference, According to him, the bias and alignment of the Facebook India's leadership team with the BJP and RSS is not limited to the Head of Public Policy in India. "There are many others in that leadership team with a close working relationship with the BJP," said Maken. Congress said it had raised the issue with the Facebook team in India. "We met the team of Ankhi Das on May 15 and complained about the manipulative content. The team heard us but did nothing," claimed Rohan Gupta, Congress Social Media head. Das is the Public Policy Director, Facebook-India, South and Central Asia. Facebook's checkered past Asked if the Congress lost past elections due to this "manipulation", the Congress leaders said that it is not only elections but its effect on the nation as a whole. The party asserted that it was like attacking the country's soul by propagating one-sided content which is "mostly of hatred". The Cambridge Analytica scandal is still fresh is in many minds. Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg was summed by the US Congress and investigated Facebook's role in election manipulation. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="71461113" title="The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower explains how the firm used Facebook data to sway elections" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> The UK too has issued warnings to Facebook. Facebook was accused of similar interference in Brazil. "India's rich electoral democracy cannot be sacrificed at the altar of Facebook and WhatsApp," the Congress asserted. (With inputs from IANS) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/wework-gets-funds-from-softbank-while-india-franchise-offers-discounts/articleshow/77540098.cms">WeWork gets a new $1.1 billion cheque from SoftBank while it attempts resurrection – its India franchise is now offering discounts and a global all-access pass</a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/wework-gets-funds-from-softbank-while-india-franchise-offers-discounts/articleshow/77540098.cms"></a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/eicher-motors-registers-first-ever-net-loss-of-55-crores-in-at-least-a-decade/articleshow/77526012.cms">Eicher Motors registers first-ever net loss of ₹55 crores in at least a decade</a>

The heat is on Mark Zuckerberg in India as Facebook and WhatsApp incur the ire of Modi's rivals

<ul><li>WhatsApp has introduced a ‘tip line’ number that users can report misinformation. </li><li>Facebook is also combating misinformation by pulling down 687 pages that exhibited ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour’. </li><li>But, by the time companies realise that fake news is going viral, it often already reaches a substantial amount of people. </li></ul>Social networking platforms in India have been told by the Indian government to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-sets-up-a-panel-to-monitor-fake-news-ahead-of-the-general-elections/articleshow/65386960.cms">vigilant</a> in their measures to curb fake news ahead of the <keyword id="3393746" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election-2019">general election 2019</keyword>. In an effort to do so, WhatsApp has launched a ‘tip-line’ where users can report misinformation and Facebook is pulling pages for ‘coordinated inauthentic behaviour’. Both platforms have a massive amount of users in India with more than 200 million on Whatsapp and 300 million on Facebook. Both of these figures are considered to be on the conservative side according to <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/87000-groups-on-whatsapp-targeting-voters/articleshow/68544565.cms">analysts</a>, indicating their actual actual may be a lot more. The WhatsApp tipline is a great solution for users who are actually interested in the authenticity of a post that’s shared with them. It requires the user to message the designated WhatsApp number (+91-9643000888) where the platform will respond by classifying information as ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘misleading’, ‘disputed’ or ‘out of scope’. This doesn’t only pertain to messages in English but also Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and English. But, at the end of the day, how many users have the time to separately verify every piece of information that they get on WhatsApp across the many groups? Facebook, on the other hand, pulled down 687 pages and accounts that were linked to one of the leading political parties in India, Congress for trying to push their election agenda under the radar. The issue of authenticity WhatsApp, currently owned by Facebook, has had its fair share of bad press in India where a series of lynching incidents were reported to be a result of a video that went viral on the platform. Facebook’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-election-2019-facebook-war-room-in-india/articleshow/68371097.cms">battle against fake news</a> has been a tough one as well. Despite having on boarded <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-is-reportedly-bringing-in-local-it-firms-to-moderate-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/67344852.cms">local partners</a> for fact checking and tweaking their algorithm to focus on family and friends, Facebook’s response time leaves a lot to be desired. In India, a Facebook user called Avi Dandiya posted a video of conversation allegedly between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, the home minister and an unidentified woman which was later exposed as fake news by BOOM, one of Facebook's fact checking partners. But, by that time the post already had 2.5 million views and 150,000 shares. Not to mention the New Zealand mass shooting where the rampage was live-streamed for 17 minutes before being cut off. By the time Facebook could go around pulling the footage, a lot of people had already downloaded their own copy or were watching snippets reposted on YouTube. Recognising the increasing incidence of fake news, the Election Commission of India asked the social networking giants to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-questioned-by-indian-government-ahead-of-elections-2019/articleshow/68183865.cms">present</a> The “Voluntary Code of Ethics for the <keyword id="43573" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election">General Election</keyword> 2019.” It has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-elections-2019-code-of-ethics-for-social-media-platforms/articleshow/68502882.cms">implemented</a> in India ahead of the world’s largest democratic exercise to ensure that confidence in the electoral process does not wane. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">Here's how global tech giants are tackling 'fake news' ahead of elections in the world's largest democracy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nationalism-main-causes-of-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/66591404.cms">Hyper-nationalism behind India’s fake news menace: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/general-election-2019-facebook-war-room-in-india/articleshow/68371097.cms">The Indian election might be Facebook's last chance to prove that it can fight fake news and political bias</a>

WhatsApp, Facebook put up more defensive measures in the face of increasing fake news

<ul><li>BJP state president Satish Poonai said the motion will be moved on Friday. </li><li>After the meeting, Kataria told reporters that the motion of no confidence will be moved in the assembly session beginning Friday. He said the proposal was being finalised.</li><li>He said even though the political crisis in the Congress has been resolved, all is still not good in that party as "one is going to east and the other to west". </li></ul> The BJP in Rajasthan will move a motion of no confidence against the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the <keyword id="144407" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-Assembly">state assembly</keyword>, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said. The decision was taken in a BJP legislature party meeting held here on Thursday. After the meeting, Kataria told reporters that the motion of no confidence will be moved in the assembly session beginning Friday. He said the proposal was being finalised. "Coronavirus cases are on the rise and the law and order situation is badly deteriorating. Attempts were made to link those, who were arrested by the SOG (Special Operations Group) over allegations of conspiring to topple the government, with BJP but the government failed in this. We will mention all these issues in the proposal," Kataria said. He said even though the political crisis in the Congress has been resolved, all is still not good in that party as "one is going to east and the other to west". BJP state president Satish Poonai said the motion will be moved on Friday. He said the BJP and its ally Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) have a total of 75 MLAs and of them, 74 were present in Thursday's legislature party meeting held at the BJP's office. He said union agriculture minister <keyword id="268357" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Tomar">Narendra Tomar</keyword> was also present in the meeting and talked about agriculture-related issues. Poonia aleged that the Ashok Gehlot-led state government is a "government of contradictions". BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, who has challenged in the high court the merger of six <keyword id="6356515" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="bahujan-samaj-party">Bahujan Samaj Party</keyword> (BSP) MLAs with Congress, said the Rajasthan government has gone into a "state of coma" and therefore the opposition party has to move the no-confidence motion. "This government is unstable and the works of people are not being done. We already had our preparations for the motion but it was finalised today in the meeting after taking the MLAs in confidence," he said. Dilawar also said all 75 BJP and RLP MLAs will support the motion. BJP national vice president and former chief minister <keyword id="6361795" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vasundhara-Raje">Vasundhara Raje</keyword>, national vice president and state in charge <keyword id="5336554" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Avinash-Khanna">Avinash Khanna</keyword> and other senior leaders were present in the meeting. The opposition party's decision comes days after an "amicable resolution" of the nearly month-long political cisis in Rajasthan. Congress leader Sachin Pilot had openly rebelled against chief minister Gehlot last month along with 18 other party MLAs. He was then sacked as deputy chief minister and the party's Rajasthan chief. The Congress on Monday had said the crisis in Rajasthan was a "closed chapter" and all legislators supporting its government will work towards strengthening the state government and fighting COVID-19 and economic calamities. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/trump-was-rushed-from-the-briefing-room-by-secret-service-after-a-shooting-outside-of-the-white-house/articleshow/77474005.cms">Trump was rushed from the briefing room by Secret Service after a shooting outside the White House</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/mckinsey-facebook-amazon-nokia-and-some-other-companies-looking-for-a-product-manager-right-now/slidelist/77464438.cms">McKinsey, Facebook, Amazon, Nokia — and some other companies looking for a product manager right now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-karan-bajaj-sold-his-less-than-18-month-old-startup-white-hat-jr-to-byjus/articleshow/77415329.cms">A WhatsApp message, six weeks of talks and a $300 million deal – how Karan Bajaj sold his less than 18-month old startup White Hat Jr to Byju’s</a>

Rajasthan BJP to move no-confidence motion against Ashok Gehlot led-Congress government

New Delhi, As we gloat over reports how the US and European countries have started to tame the social media platforms in regard to anti-trust market practices, users privacy and the spread of fake news, <keyword id="1781932" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Big-Tech">Big Tech</keyword> firms had their own iota of controversies in India in 2020, generating enough political heat in the process. The biggest controversy came in August when the Wall Street Journal reported on the blatant biases of <keyword id="736869" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook-India">Facebook India</keyword>'s team, headed by their <keyword id="5729070" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="public-policy-chief">public policy chief</keyword> for the country, Ankhi Das. The report alleged that the top leadership at Facebook's India office refused to apply the company's own rules to politicians from the ruling party, despite clear violations of Facebook's policies against incitement to violence, hate speech and misinformation. Following the report, the Congress raised the issue of what it calls "unholy nexus" of the ruling BJP with Facebook and WhatsApp. Shashi Tharoor, the head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology (IT), called on Facebook to respond to allegations of ignoring hate speech in favour of the ruling party. Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also wrote a hard-hitting letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, blaming the Facebook India management of alleged bias against people supporting the right-of-centre ideology. The minister said that as a <keyword id="10498524" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="transnational-digital-platform">transnational digital platform</keyword>, Facebook must not only be fair and neutral, but also "visibly seen to be so, to users of diverse beliefs and ideologies". Later, deposing before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on personal data protection Bill 2019, Das was asked how much funds are spent by the social media giant on data safety. The Facebook executives were also questioned on the quantum of its revenue as well as the profit they are making in India. A coalition of 41 civil rights groups also demanded that Facebook India should immediately place its public policy head Ankhi Das on a leave of absence pending a full audit of the company and an investigation into her statements as reported in The Wall Street Journal. The political heat resulted in Das quitting the company in October "to pursue her interest in public service". Another WSJ report this month alleged that Facebook discussed banning Bajrang Dal and termed it a dangerous organisation but did not act considering the safety of the employees. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said: "Further confirmation that BJP-RSS control Facebook in India." However, no stern action was taken on Facebook. Micro-blogging platform Twitter stirred a major controversy in the second half of the year when it showed Ladakh as part of China. Twitter had to apologise to a parliamentary panel in a letter, stating that it will fix the issue of geo-tagging Ladakh as part of China and Ladakh will be added as a region administered by India as a union territory. The micro-blogging platform sent the letter to the panel's chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi and apologised for the geo-tag error. A joint committee of Parliament led by BJP MP Lekhi which has 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, had issued summons to Twitter, seeking an explanation in form of an affidavit. Taking strong exception to the "misrepresentation" of India's map, the government also wrote a letter to the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, saying that any attempt by the platform to disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, was totally unacceptable. In a separate incident, after courting controversy for wrongly showing Jammu and Kashmir as part of China, Twitter said it resolved this particular geo-tag issue. Several netizens also asked the IT minister and the government to take action against <keyword id="749437" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter-India">Twitter India</keyword> as the controversy erupted amid India's border standoff with China in Ladakh. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-mrs-bectors-ril-bharti-airtel-vodafone-idea-ilfs-interglobe-aviation-future-group-deepak-nitrite-jubilant-foodworks-and-others/articleshow/79933826.cms">Top stocks to watch – Mrs Bectors, RIL, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, IL&amp;FS, InterGlobe Aviation, Future Group, Deepak Nitrite, Jubilant FoodWorks, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

Facebook and Twitter stir up hornet's nest in India in 2020

<ul><li>Experts believe that overall political spends for <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> during general elections are going to go as high as ₹40 billion. </li><li>Broadcasters are also looking at a hike of 25% in revenues from general elections alone. </li><li>While the BJP and Congress will be leading in spending, regional parties too are not going to be shy about their media spends.</li></ul>India is preparing for the general elections. But when it comes down to business, one thing is for sure – media and advertising rake in big winnings, thanks to advertising revenues. With the countdown to the Indian general elections having begun, social media is already buzzing with slogans and trends that are mostly triggered by political parties. Promotions though come at a cost. However, that’s not a concern for political parties, especially ones with big fat budgets set aside for advertisements. Experts believe that this year, the general elections will result in a significant jump in advertising revenue for whom broadcasting channels, print media and others – upto 25% when compared to the last general elections. “If Elections 2014 saw a declared expenditure level of ₹25 billion approximately by political parties, expect that number to balloon to ₹40 billion crores this year,” Harish Bijoor, a brand consultant told Business Insider. Bijoor added that general elections typically have the habit of making way for a good expenditure blip for political parties, which reflects on to the GDP of India of that particular quarter for sure. According to <a href="http://www.adageindia.in/advertising/adageelectionwatch-political-advertisings-interesting-media-mix-ahead-of-ge-2019/articleshow/68069252.cms">AdAge India</a>, the current Indian government has been spending ₹10-13 billion every year since they came to power. However, for the 2019 financial year the government had spent ₹528 crore until December 7, 2018. While the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are expected to take centre stage with election advertising, experts believe the focus will also turn to regional parties in the upcoming general elections. “There will be a lot of influence from the regional parties. I believe this election will be largely fought on behalf of regional parties, the alliances that take place and of course, the subsequent media spends by them,” Pawan Jailkhani, Chief Revenue Officer, 9XM, a music broadcasting channel, told Business Insider. However, for broadcasters accepting these ads, it’s just another big corporate advertising that comes with bulk orders. All of these campaigns are released through agencies. So, the advertising rates don’t stand discounted, translating to higher revenues. “It is purely based on demand and supply. If we don’t have inventory, we’ll charge higher rates. And obviously the rates are higher during general election,” said Jailkhani. He further explained that from the last general elections in 2014 to now, the reach of TV has grown which also means higher reach come higher rates. “We see a 20-25% hike in revenue from the last general elections,” said Jailkhani. Social media tightens norms However, experts believe that even though television will take up a higher chunk of advertising, it won’t be the only major player. “Digital will work across centers and more particularly in the urban. Whatsapp however will work everywhere, urban and rural as will Instagram and TikTok. Print will dominate as always and Television will gobble up the biggest bulk of money, said Bijoor. In terms of volumes of ads, of ads, digital will play a big role. With pressure mounting on social media platforms to weed out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">political bias</a> these platforms are making a calculated move. Facebook senior officials have to face a parliamentary panel to present steps taken by them to safeguard users. Twitter had earlier faced the parliamentary panel where it was asked to appoint a nodal officer to work with the Election Commission of India. Twitter released a <a href="https://blog.twitter.com/en_in/topics/events/2019/election-integrity.html">statement</a> on February 21 where it said that it has formed an “internal, cross functional elections group to lead our electoral integrity work from now through polling day” while Facebook had earlier even said that they are on the lookout for an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-india-has-a-very-high-profile-job-waiting-for-the-right-candidate/articleshow/67480760.cms">election integrity head </a>in India. WhatsApp too had hired an India head to tackle the spread of fake news in India. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/voting-in-indias-2019-elections-will-run-from-april-11-to-may-19-and-the-results-will-be-out-on-may-23/articleshow/68344595.cms">Voting in India's 2019 elections will run from April 11 to May 19 and the results will be counted on May 23</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebooks-ad-archive-report-50-facebook-ads-by-bjp/articleshow/68304281.cms">BJP spends too much on political advertising on Facebook as Congress spends too little — yet again</a>

Indian political parties are not going to hold back on advertising during the general elections

<ul><li>Facebook is reportedly planning to set up a ‘war room’ to monitor user activity ahead of the general elections in India. </li><li>If Facebook faces another data breach, that too ahead of the elections in a country that's home to its largest user base, it may lose its credibility altogether.</li><li>The social networking giant had previously set up similar war rooms ahead of the US-midterm elections and the elections in Brazil. </li></ul>The upcoming elections in India might be Facebook’s last chance to prove its credibility in the market — not just locally, but globally as well. The social networking giant is going all out with plans to set up a ‘war room’ to monitor all election content. Shivnath Thukral, the director of public policy in India and South Asia for Facebook, said that the operations center in Delhi will coordinate with Facebook’s offices in Menlo Park, Dublin and Singapore in order to ensure round-the-clock monitoring of misinformation. With 300 million monthly active users, Facebook has too big of a stake in the Indian market to lose credibility. Another scandal like Cambridge Analytica (CA) — where the data of 87 million users was harvested and then used to meddle in the US elections by helping Russia spread fake news — in a country that consists of its largest user base may not be something that Facebook can recuperate from. Even in India, over half a million users were ‘potentially affected’ by the CA-Facebook data breach. Christopher Wylie, the former CA employee who blew the scandal wide open, also <a href="https://twitter.com/chrisinsilico/status/978921850448371715">disclosed</a> that SCL — CA’s parent company — has worked on at least eight projects in India. And, Facebook has more to worry about since <keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> and <keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> also fall under its purview. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have <a href="https://qz.com/india/1248162/facebook-will-go-on-a-hiring-spree-to-get-indias-2019-elections-right/">reportedly</a> formed 50,000 WhatsApp groups that are part of their campaigning. In 2018, WhatsApp has come under fire from the Indian government after fake news circulated on the messaging platform led to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-building-india-team-to-curb-fake-news-but-government-is-not-satisfied/articleshow/65292048.cms">a number</a> of mob-lynchings in India. Yet, the exact impact and influence of online platforms and digital tools is still under debate. The Internet Mobile Association of India <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/CERCatIIITD/twitter-and-polls-what-do-140-characters-say-about-india-general-elections-2014">reported</a> that social media only had the ability to influence 3-4% of urban votes. Others <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/why-india-has-nothing-to-fear-from-rightful-use-of-big-data/articleshow/63560703.cms">argue</a> that even though, social media is definitely a heavy influence, it’s not a determining factor. This is unlike the US, where the <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2018/09/10/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2018/">majority</a> of people get their news via social media networks like Facebook. <div type="ExtQuote" text="&quot;Companies have noted that though firms like Cambridge Analytica can create psychographic profiles of individuals based on facebook quizzes and analysis of other social media content, in India, manual data collection is still a more reliant way of collecting information as there are a number of contextual factors (language, phonics, spelling) that humans can decipher and navigate that analytic has yet to overcome.&quot;" auname="Elonnai Hickok, Chief Operating Officer at the Centre for Internet &amp; Society India (CIS)"></div>

 The US Model Last year, Facebook set up ‘war rooms’ ahead of the US midterm and Brazil elections that eventually <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/26/facebook-wont-use-its-war-room-for-future-elections-report-says.html">shut down</a> in late November once the elections were over. Even then, Facebook indicated that it may start new war rooms for the coming elections in other countries around the world. The previous war rooms were makeshift control centers, which Facebook claimed were a part of its effort to counter the spread of misinformation and fake news on the platform. It essentially bring its employees from different teams together so that disturbing trends in user activity can be caught quickly. But, some, like Fortune and the New York Times, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-26/facebook-s-sheryl-sandberg-is-tainted-by-crisis-after-crisis">speculated</a> that it was nothing more than a publicity stunt. In the case of the US elections, Facebook’s response team <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-26/facebook-s-sheryl-sandberg-is-tainted-by-crisis-after-crisis">coordinated</a> a response to a tip given to them by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that indicated the threat of Russian activity ahead of the midterms. Without a war room, such a situation would’ve taken longer to address. The Indian government has set up their own <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-sets-up-a-panel-to-monitor-fake-news-ahead-of-the-general-elections/articleshow/65386960.cms">parliamentary committee</a> to look into the practices of social networking sites ahead of the elections in the country. The India public policy director, Ajit Mohan, met with them last Friday where the country was issued a 10-day deadline to respond to the committee’s concerns. Twitter was also given a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-questioned-by-indian-government-ahead-of-elections-2019/articleshow/68183865.cms">similar deadline</a> after their meeting on February 26. The committee’s concern is that since Facebook is a ‘hybrid’ company — consisting of Instagram and WhatsApp — it does not have a clear regulatory framework which applies to all of their content, advertising and marketing operations across the platforms. Facebook was <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/parliamentary-panel-confronts-facebook-over-inability-to-check-misuse-of-platform-during-polls/articleshow/68290681.cms">reportedly</a> also asked about its global lobbying practices against data privacy laws after the Center of Accountability and Systematic Change (CASC) wrote a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-twitter-instagram-whatsapp-2019-elections-india/articleshow/68264695.cms">letter</a> to the committee to address the issue. Facebook has also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">set up</a> a political ad library where advertisers are listed according to their expenditure and the number of ads issued. The library reflects whether the ads went out with or without a disclaimer. Facebook’s efforts also include on-ground vetting of advertisers, bringing in two new disclaimer categories, and adding five new partners to its third-party fact checking initiative. Facebook has to stay vigilant since its market share is already on the downtrend with users dropping from 76% to 66% from December 2017 to December 2018 — the largest drop being from the US. In order to keep an already bad situation from getting worse Facebook’s war room can’t just be a ‘publicity stunt’ ahead of <keyword id="3393746" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Election-2019">general election 2019</keyword> in India. They’ll have to walk the walk and talk the talk in order to maintain their credibility in their largest market. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">Here's how global tech giants are tackling 'fake news' ahead of elections in the world's largest democracy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/nationalism-main-causes-of-fake-news-in-india/articleshow/66591404.cms">Hyper-nationalism behind India’s fake news menace: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/bjps-5-year-challenge-follows-facebooks-10-year-challenge/articleshow/67586112.cms">Facebook's '10 Year Challenge' takes a political dimension in India</a>

The Indian election might be Facebook's last chance to prove that it can fight fake news and political bias

While marketers around the world carried on business as usual over the past two months, the marketing magic was unfolding over 1.25 billion people. India plunged into the General Elections for the Lower House of the Parliament (<keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword>) on April 7 and over the next 5 weeks, the dance of democracy held sway over 814 million voters – the largest voting population in the world. 
 The recently concluded Lok Sabha polls featured various traits that characterise all democratic <keyword id="6359191" type="EVENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="election">election</keyword>s – name-calling among politicians, public addresses by top candidates, dirty linen being washed in public and so on. However, this election was special because of the unprecedented and innovative ways in which marketing was employed by the winning party – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – to wrest the most emphatic election victory India has witnessed in more than three decades. 
 
Here are the top 10 learnings that marketers can take away from the BJP’s impressive electoral campaign. 
 
1. Be clear in your positioning 
The BJP could have picked from a million problems affecting the Indian voters – poverty, women’s empowerment, social justice, equal pay for equal work, secularism and so on. However, they picked two clear pillars for their marketing campaign – good governance and economic growth – and stuck to those two ideas throughout their year-long canvassing. 
 
Lesson: Every brand needs clear positioning and a clear statement that tells you what it stands for. Pick your brand position and hammer it home, so that your users won’t forget it. 
 
2. Don’t let bad karma haunt you The BJP has been ruling Gujarat since 2001. However, the communal clashes in 2002 that killed over a thousand people from the minority community became the biggest blot on <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and his election bid. In spite of being exonerated by the Supreme Court, the national and the global media pinned the blame for not controlling (and instead, encouraging) the rioters on the state government, led by the then Chief Minister Modi. 
 
Lesson: Every brand makes mistakes, be it a faulty product, an oil spill or software that crashes more than it works. Acknowledge your errors and move on. The more you focus on the positives, the less your past mistakes will affect you. 
 
3. Good products support credible marketing 
Narendra Modi-led Gujarat became one of the most industrialised states in India, with rapid economic growth and massive foreign investments worth millions of dollars. The better-than-average infrastructure and improved employment rates are only too obvious now. 
 
Lesson: Marketing can only do so much for a bad product. It’s a great product, backed by smart marketing, which becomes a world-beating one. The iPhone would never have been the phenomenon it is without being a great product, to begin with. 
 
4. Turn the tables on the competition 
Opposition parties highlighted Modi’s humble beginnings as a tea-seller in one of the innumerable attempts to discredit his claims to the highest office in the country. However, Modi and the BJP used this perceived insult to their advantage and turned it into an inspirational saga, gaining support of the ‘backward’ social classes in the process. 
 
Lesson: Every jibe by your competition can be turned on its head and used to your advantage. All it needs is a lot of patience and some creativity. 
 
5. Put a face to the brand 
The BJP’s share of votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls was nearly 64% higher than the votes it won in the previous general elections. And a large share of the credit for this performance goes to its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, around whom the entire marketing campaign was built. The party successfully built a personality cult around Modi and his achievements in Gujarat. It was a victory for Modi rather than for the BJP. 
 
Lesson: A highly recognisable and persuasive face behind a brand only adds to the brand’s equity. Leverage the power of personality wherever you can. Sir Richard Branson &amp; the Virgin Group and Steve Jobs &amp; Apple are just two examples of the tangible faces associated with big brands. 
 
6. Be innovative 
The winning party’s electoral campaign was innovative in a variety of ways: 
· The BJP held public rallies in 1,350 locations across India where Narendra Modi appeared in the form of a 3D hologram, instead of being present in person. 
· Video ‘hangouts’ where people could video chat with Modi one on one were carried out at tea stalls across 24 out of the 28 states in India, with more than a million people participating. The hangouts were branded as Chai pe Charcha, meaning a Chat over Tea. 
· Out-of-the-box merchandising including jackets, masks, pen drives and Indian bread with NaMo and BJP’s campaign slogans branded on them; also construction bricks with NaMo stamped on them. 
· The brand building continued even after BJP’s victory in the form of a <a href="http://victorywall.narendramodi.in/">Victory Wall</a> on Narendra Modi’s website. 
 
Lesson: Innovation always pays off. Whether it is in your product design, packaging or distribution method, think out of the box for marketing your brand and it will stand out from the clutter. 
 
7. Cast a social media spell 
The BJP and Modi orchestrated the most sophisticated political campaign on social media till date. From Facebook to Twitter to YouTube to blogs to WhatsApp, Modi reached out to voters in every way imaginable. With informative content, share-worthy infographics, funny memes and hashtags targeting the opposition, and direct interaction with voters, Modi did not let traditional media take away the control of his campaign. 
 
Lesson: Social media DOES get you results. The BJP’s marketing campaign and Modi’s social media clout are living proof. The now silenced social media naysayers have only to take a look at the number of mentions that Modi generated on his way to a historic win to understand the power of social media. CNN chose to dub this election as the first social media election in India. The Obama magic was effectively duplicated and surpassed by Modi magic. 
 
8. Identify gaps and fill them 
India’s incumbent government was widely criticised for its lack of leadership, mindboggling corruption scandals and indecisiveness on the economic front. The BJP identified these lacunae and modelled itself as the party that promised a strong and clean leadership with a proven track record of rapid economic growth. Picking a candidate like Modi was the party’s master stroke in securing a victory in these elections. 
 
Lesson: Do your <keyword id="29547" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Market">market</keyword> research well. Understand what the pain points of your target audience are and aim to fill in the blanks as best as possible. People care more about a problem-solving product than for another me too. 
 
9. Nothing beats catchy branding 
All the parties involved in the Indian elections spent millions of dollars in marketing themselves and their agendas. What set the BJP apart was its catchy branding and glib copy. One of its main campaign taglines – Ab ki baar, Modi sarkar (loosely translating as Time for Change, Time for Modi) became a viral hit, with hundreds of user-generated versions of the tagline appearing on social networks, newspapers and television. 
 
Lesson: You may not give enough credit to copywriting or brand mantras, but a catchphrase with smart branding goes a long way in conversion. Don’t just look at the immediate results; look at all possible implications. Don Draper agrees with this line of thought 100%. 
 
10. Championships aren’t won without teamwork 
In a country notorious for mismanagement of its resources, the winning party did a great job of putting together a great team with clear-cut campaign responsibilities. Although Narendra Modi was leveraged as the star campaigner during the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP war room was efficiently manned by some of the brightest brains around. The party fielded qualified and experienced candidates who were handpicked for their past successes, unlike competing political parties that had no real game plan in this regard. 
 
Lesson: Take the time and put in the effort to cherry-pick the right people for your marketing team. Assign clear roles and set measurable targets. Objectivity goes a long way in getting a team to put in their best. 
 
In hindsight 
Political campaigns only happen once in five years. They are like intense 100m sprints at the end of which the winners can catch their breath and rest on their achievements. However, on analysing the marketing tactics employed by the BJP in the Indian elections this year, you’ll realise that the essence of a winning marketing campaign does not change. Whether you’re marketing a political party or a business with an idea, a product or a service – if you get your fundamentals right, victory is just a list of checkboxes that need to be ticked.

10 Lessons That The Lok Sabha Polls Taught The Marketers

<ul><li><keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom">Telecom</keyword> advocacy group Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has reiterated the concern regarding illegal import, sale and use of signal boosters. </li><li>The <keyword id="62528" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Department-of-Telecom">Department of Telecom</keyword> has released several warnings in the matter between 2016 and 2019. </li><li>Signal boosters and repeaters are associated with the degradation of <keyword id="10986122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mobile-signals">mobile signals</keyword> and a decrease in overall service quality.</li></ul>The telecom advocacy group, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/e-commerce/news/amazon-alibaba-flipkart-snapdeal-and-others-get-an-angry-letter-from-indias-telecom-regulator/articleshow/82118919.cms">written to the Department of Telecom</a> (<keyword id="16054" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="DoT">DoT</keyword>) reminding them to act on the concern around the illegal sale of mobile signal boosters. These signal boosters and repeaters are said to cause interference with signals from towers impacting the overall cellular network quality. A signal booster is essentially a device that amplifies the mobile phone signal strength within its vicinity. It is used in areas where there is weak or inconsistent signal strength. DoT has released multiple warnings to e-commerce sellers to stop the sale of said items. In a letter to all e-commerce companies on May 1, 2019, DoT had said that e-commerce firms are facilitating and acting as a party to the illegal sale of unauthorised mobile signal boosters. This letter was addressed to <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, Flipkart, Indiamart, Alibaba, Aliexpress, eBay, Snapdeal, Shopclues and Rediff. Similar warnings were issued in 2016 as well. What makes signal boosters illegal? These signal boosters, which are not registered, are categorised as illegal because they use a spectrum they haven't paid for. It interferes with the airwaves making it capable of distorting mobile signal for other customers in the vicinity of the booster. These devices are the main reasons for network issues like call drops and low data speeds. They also make mobile handsets transmit higher power, to manage connectivity with the site leading to even higher battery consumption and poor network. The illegal use of such devices leads to the degradation of telecom services instead of solving signal issues. In simple words, using mobile signal boosters is like having illegal electricity or water supply connection from the main supply, which leads to improper distribution for others who are paying for the service. What does the law say? The DoT has been saying that the seller for the wireless equipment needed to have a Dealer Possession License (DPL) under the provisions of the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933. According to the Act, no person shall possess wireless telegraphy apparatus except under and in accordance with a licence issued under the Act. In case someone wants to purchase such a device, the customer needs to get a ‘frequency authorisation/agreement in principle letter’ from DoT and then get the wireless operating licence for the same after submitting required papers and spectrum charges. Additionally, in case a wireless device is needed to be imported to India, the importer needs an import licence as per customs rules from regional licensing offices of the telecom ministry after completing the initial process of submitting documents and fees. Apart from putting a regulation in place, the crackdown on such devices will improve the quality of the services and also allow the telcos to obtain a fee against the <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/business/trai-issues-spectrum-usage-charges-sop/cid/1789412">spectrum charges</a> they pay to the DoT. The concerned authorities like DoT and the telecom ministry will also make their share of the revenue from the registration and licence fee. Biggest e-commerce players not complying The scuffle between DoT and e-commerce companies has been going on for a while. Soon after the first letter was written to the e-commerce companies in 2019, Flipkart and Snapdeal accepted the request to remove the signal booster devices from their platforms. However, Amazon says it's a marketplace and shouldn't be held responsible to comply with laws applicable to products. Amazon said that it was not clear on the legal basis of the request to take down these products. “Amazon operates an online marketplace in India. Sellers selling their products through amazon.in marketplace are solely responsible for all necessary product compliance and are required to sell products, which are legally allowed to be sold in India. Whenever concerns about the listed products get raised, we review the case with the sellers," Amazon told <a href="https://www.livemint.com/industry/telecom/amazon-to-keep-selling-illegal-mobile-signal-boosters-despite-telcos-appeal-1555020193105.html">Mint</a>. As of today, Amazon still has similar products listed for sale on its website. Telcos ask for stricter action To crackdown on the illicit use of signal boosters, COAI has asked the DoT to ensure a complete ban on sale both offline and online. It has also asked to raise the issue with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to prevent the import of these devices. The DoT has also been asked to request India’s <keyword id="69522" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-home-affairs">Ministry of Home Affairs</keyword> (MHA) to issue appropriate directions to state police chiefs and chief secretaries to take action under law against the sellers. SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-users-need-to-update-their-apps-and-report-malicious-links-as-new-malware-makes-the-round-and-cert-in-warns-of-multiple-vulnerabilities/articleshow/82140756.cms">WhatsApp under threat — multiple vulnerabilities in older versions of the app and a new ‘Pink’ malware on the prowl</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/facebook-accused-of-favouring-bjp-mp-with-fake-followers/articleshow/82105953.cms">Former employee accuses Facebook of being ignorant of its policies to favour a BJP MP</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/dream11-parent-company-looking-for-an-ipo-in-the-us/articleshow/82139123.cms">Dream11’s parent company is reportedly the latest contender for a public market debut in the US</a>

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