It also means a significant rise in election spending, making it the costliest poll on earth. Expenditure is set to rise 40 percent to $7 billion, according to Centre for Media Studies, a New Delhi-based think tank. The company creates profiles, handles politicians’ social media accounts, writes speeches and grooms candidates on the importance of making eye contact, said Sudhanshu Rai, founder and chief strategist at communication firm Saints Art. “We are advising them by analyzing everything on social media platforms - how are Twitter hashtags trending, what is the public sentiment on a topic, how are different parts of the country reacting to a particular news,” said Amarpreet Kalkat, co-founder of Frrole, a company specializing in analyzing social media data. As the campaign shifts away from traditional forms of advertising - such as flags, posters, garlands, caps, badges and t-shirts - onto social media, some businesses have become less lucrative.

Source: Hindustan Times May 07, 2019 05:45 UTC