Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: victory of Hemant Soren

How Digital Literacy Shaped the victory of Hemant Soren in Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024

Earlier in Jharkhand, lives have been transformed due to the ongoing digital revolution. The assembly polls of 2024 were the important ones. The I.N.D.IA.  Alliance led by Hemant Soren’s JMM managed to win 56 seats out of the total 81. On the other hand the NDA led by BJP secured only 24. Election Commission of India This change was not merely a single number. It showed how rural voting patterns were influenced by internet penetration and digital education of the citizens. Such tools empowered the people’s choice.

Internet connectivity: An unprecedented achievement in rural Jharkhand

Not many days ago, villages in Jharkhand were dependent on informants to get political news. Today even most hinterland villages are linked through BharatNet and private telecom companies. Now, for instance, we have a farmer in Gumla who wishes to watch a campaign video on Youtube. A few houses away, another farmer is trying to verify some political issue on WhatsApp.

Key Statistics

According to a joint study of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar, as of 2023, Jharkhand has an internet penetration rate of 46% , with a growth rate of 12%. Economic Times Telecom. This indicates that nearly half of Jharkhand’s population has access to the internet, reflecting significant progress in digital connectivity within the state..

• In the internet-heavy state of Jharkhand, the number of mobile Internet subscribers increased at a staggering rate of more than 150% over a span of five years. The majority of the customers are first-time smartphone users.

However, it would not be sufficient to just construct infrastructure; this is also about empowerment. Consider for example a first time voter in Simdega who goes into Facebook to watch a live debate. Something like this would have been ridiculed just ten years ago.

How Political Parties Adjusted to the Changes in the World Around Them – The Digital Age.

At an astonishing pace, political parties understood the importance of social media targeting the rural electorates. Instead of using speakers, bells and canvass, they went to social media and messaging apps.

• JMM Endorsement and Reaching Out – Hemant Soren’s Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was able to communicate the villages through whatsapp groups. Its participants circulated videos of the welfare projects and programs they accomplished. Local opinion leaders were responsible for getting the messages across in an appropriate manner.
• Political Campaign by the BJP – The BJP connected with the youth using Facebook Live and YouTube ads. Their subjects tackled employment and education ensuring that the targeted ads gave rise to a digital engagement in between the stakeholders.

The Digitalized Voter- The New Status Quo.

Rural voters have been equipped with new devices due to the expansion of the internet. They can now engage, interrogate and analyze to new extremes. The times are long gone when they waited for the local heads in all aspects. Now they can:

• See a party’s manifesto and that of its rival all on the same screen.
• Stream campaign events from the comfort of their handheld gadgets.
• Use social media platforms to have conversations around politics.

Let us consider Mohan, a teacher residing in Latehar. For the first time, he watched debates on youtube and then explained them to his people. “Pehle jo suna wo sach lagta tha, ab hum khud dekh aur samajh sakte hain” (Such statements use to be authoritative. Now we see for ourselves).

Challenges: Misinformation and Digital Illiteracy

Information in the world of the internet should be authenticated, and with greater connectivity comes greater responsibilities. Misinformation grew during the elections in Jharkhand. WhatsApp messages with false information on invalidating a voter ID spread like wildfires, particularly in Dumka district. Some villagers disregarded it while others panicked and went to great lengths. This calls for a swift reaction on the part of the public to embrace the need for digital literacy.

Increasing outreach – to encourage villagers check the information at hand such as programs of “Digital Suraksha” – is currently underwhelming. The question now remains: what strategies can be employed to deter rural voters from online deception?

Looking Ahead: Predictions and Recommendations

The digital wave in Jharkhand is at an infant stage. Thus this is what the future prognosticate:

• Increase Cyber Campaigning: Apprising peoples of newer and more effective campaigns
• More involvement of Voter Ballot: As digital skills are improved the turn up of voters will also increase.
• Monitoring tools to eradicate misinformation during elections: These tools are most likely to come built-in within platforms.

Policy Recommendations

Rural communities should be empowered by having more digital literacy workshops that particularly target citizens on identifying fake news.

• All remaining unconnected villages need to be connected by enhancing the coverage of the internet infrastructure.
• Engage NGOs to do outreach to design simple and accessible platforms for rural voters to be able to reach and verify information.

Conclusion: The Digital Memory of Rural Jharkhand

Jharkhand Assembly elections of 2024 were not just elections instead they were the vindication of the transforming power of the internet. The victory of Hemant Soren reveals that his alliance has made significant inroads. This demonstrates the organization of millions of rural voters who know what they are voting for. It is clear now, the more the people go online, the more the Indian democracy has a digital lifeline.

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