In a break from tradition, Gujarat is bracing itself for a multi-cornered contest for the Assembly elections due later this year. Besides the ruling BJP and its tradition rival the Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are set to be in the fray.

The BJP has already sounded the poll bugle while and the Congress will launch the election campaign on September 25, once its vice-president Rahul Gandhi returns to the country from his ongoing US tour. AAP has announced its plan to hit the streets on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. NCP is yet to declare its plan.

Much before the campaign of the rival parties has taken off in right earnest, an aggressive parallel battle has already started between them on the social media.

The Congress has clearly taken a lead in the social media war. It launched its offensive through hashtag 'Vikas gando thayo chhe' [Vikas (development) has gone crazy] early this month.

The BJP has sought to respond but so far it has failed to effectively counter the Congress' missile. Though AAP has been a late entrant, its attack has also been quite powerful.

CONGRESS

A casual uploading of the image of an upturned new Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus by Patidar-Patel quota stir leader Hardik Patel's supporter Sagar Savalia on Facebook is considered to be the beginning of the social media war. The funny picture with the tagline 'Bhajapnu Vikas gando thayo chhe' was an instant hit. It was shared several hundred times.

The idea was picked up by the Patel's social media team. However, very soon the Congress's social media team too joined. The Congress seems to have taken a lead in publicising 'Vikas gando thayo chhe'.

Scores of memes, pictures, cartoons and videos are being added to the hashtag everyday.

Sample these:

It says the vehicle is taking rest for a while.

This video has been uploaded with the slogan "the fan went crazy during Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's programme in Surendranagar".

Here the GSRTC bus has been shown as going straight to America from Kotda.

This funny image is of "Vikas gone missing".

The message posted here says 'Vikas' is suffering from flatulence and, therefore, it is lying upside down.

BJP

The party ruling at the Centre and in Gujarat is on the defensive. It has failed to effectively counter the catchy 'Vikas has gone crazy' slogan. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who is BJP's Gujarat election in charge, sought to ignore the campaign. "I have heard that people these days are making fun of development. Even when train services were started in the country, people had made fun of it claiming that better connectivity would mean people moving out of homes for better prospects and splitting families," he said on September 17.

In a public rally in Ahmedabad on September 10, Amit Shah asked the youth to be cautious against "vicious propaganda" against the BJP. Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the next day that the Gujarat BJP would counter 'Vikas gando thayo che' campaign.

It did come up with hashtag - 'Congress jawaab aape' (Congress should reply) - a couple of days ago by launching hashtag 'Congress jawaab aape' (Congress should respond). But the BJP's slogan has failed to catch the attention of the masses.

At best, the BJP's hashtag has remained an academic repartee. It has relied on criticising Gujarat's development during the Congress rule and comparing it with the BJP's development model.

The ruling party has sought to push the slogan "BJP - Unstoppable Gujarat, firm belief".

The dedication of Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation by the PM on his 67th birthday on September 17 is the mainstay of the BJP's attack.One Ashok Saraswat asks why did Congress keep Gujarat thirsty for years together?

"Why did the Narmada Project stop under the rules of then prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi and during the UPA regime?" someone asked.

A BJP functionary has compared the scam cases allegedly worth Rs 4.32 lakh crore during the Congress regime with the works Narmada Project during the BJP dispensation.

One Jayraj Brahmbhatt says under the Congress rule, power generation was 36,732 MW, while it is 1,03,137 MW in the BJP rule.

Power availability during the Congress and BJP rules has also been compared.

BJP supporters have compared the budget (Rs 10,232 crore) during the Congress rule and the BJP's dispensation (Rs 1.72 lakh crore), literacy rate of 69.1 per cent during the Congress rule and 78 per cent under the BJP government, the increase in the number of schools, police stations, police personnel, length of roads constructed and the likes and sought the rival party's response on several such issues.

AAP

The AAP has not met with success in any Assembly election except Delhi. It came a distant second in Punjab and failed to open its account in Goa, the two states where elections were held in February.

After its debacle in these two states, Kejriwal is trying his luck in Gujarat. Just today, AAP's hashtag 'Adikham raheshe' (Stay firm) started trending on Twitter.

AAP had called the shots on the social media during the Punjan and Goa elections too. In Gujarat, the are attacking the BJP.

Sample these:

#????_???? They will talk about PETROL HIKE as a NATIONAL BENEFIT & even MISCALCULATE in their propaganda poster but tum #????_???? pic.twitter.com/bLI1qQ9RNS - Athif (@Athif) September 21, 2017

One Satyarth Prakash said, They will try to keep you engaged on Hindu-Muslim issues, but you stay firm on unity of the nation... they will try to talk to you about (gomutra) cow urine, but you stay firm on the price of petrol... they will try to take you to Hindu-Muslim topic but you stay firm on issues like employment, gas cylinder and ration... they will talk about constructing the Ram Mandir but you stay firm on the issue of hospital.??

However, a BJP supporter retorted by stating that even if petrol would be sold at Rs 200 per litre, LPG Rs 1500 a cylinder, onion and tomato Rs 1,000 per kg and rice Rs 500 per kg, he would not vote for the Congress or the left.

even if petrol 200rs a literLPG 1500rs a cylenderonion & tomato 1000rs kgrice 500rs kgi won't vote congress & leftnever ever#??_ - Ganesh Swami (@Ganesh_swami94) September 21, 2017

Another one asked the people not to forget the scams during the Congress regime.

WHO'S THE WINNER

If social media would have decided the results of the Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress would have emerged as the clear winner. There would have been a tough contest between the BJP and AAP for a distant second position while NCP would have been a non-starter.

However, the elections would not be fought on social media. The AAP, which was way ahead of the Congress and the BJP on social media during the Punjab elections held earlier this year, came a distant second as the Congress walked away with the winning trophy.

Social media may swing a minuscule percentage of the youths. But the actual battle would be fought on the ground. Here, the BJP has an edge.The Gujarat elections are being held for the first time after Narendra Modi and Amit Shah became the prime minister and the BJP president respectively. Their emotional appeal to the voters may work wonders.

Secondly, the BJP would seek votes in the name of development. It has already launched the perception war by organising the ground breaking ceremony of bullet train and dedicating the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation.

On the other hand, Congress has got weakened with the resignation of 13 party MLAs ahead of the last month's Rajya Sabha election. Its former leader Shankersinh Vaghela has joined a front which may harm the Congress.

The AAP and NCP may also split the Congress' votes. The social media war may not be a clear reflection of the finals results.