In a quick rollback, Madhya Pradesh Congress has withdrawn its diktat that had set minimum criteria on social media presence for those who want party ticket to contest the upcoming state Assembly elections. As informed by ANI, the new order issued by state party unit says that its earlier order no 1272/18 dated 2 September 2018 stands withdrawn.
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has withdrawn its letter to ticket aspirants, in which it was mentioned that ‘candidates in upcoming polls must have 15,000 likes on their FB page, 5000 Twitter followers, & WhatsApp group of booth-level workers.” pic.twitter.com/bKfE4uCFbt
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2018
It may be recalled that on 2nd September, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee had issued an order that said the aspiring candidates for assembly elections must have 15,000 likes on Facebook pages, 5000 followers on Twitter, and a WhatsApp group of booth-level workers. The mandate had also stipulated that they must retweet and like all Twitter and Facebook posts by Madhya Pradesh Congress’s official handles. This criterion was also made mandatory for all party office bearers and current MLAs of the party also.
This diktat was widely ridiculed on social media. Now it seems the party has decided that perhaps this is not the best way to select the most winnable candidate for the crucial assembly elections next year, where it is hoping to regain power after a sitting in opposition benches in the state assembly for a very long time.
