Lok Sabha elections: Pawan Kalyan announces names of candidates on Facebook

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday announced the names of party candidates for two Lok Sabha constituencies through a live interaction on Facebook.
After Pawan’s post on social media on Monday that the party has finalized the list of candidates for assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the media gathered at the party office. Pawan, however, ignored the media and took to Facebook.
This is the first time that a party in Andhra Pradesh has chosen to announce the candidates on social media.Pawan is active on Twitter, too, where he releases Jana Sena’s programmes and policies. He says he can reach a wider audience, particularly the youth and students, through social media.
Pawan’s strategy is not without reason. A few studies have shown that only 10% of the people, who watch Telugu TV channels, tune into Telugu news channels. And most people watching news developments on TV are the elderly. In contrast, students and young professionals are active on social media to keep themselves abreast of news developments.
Pawan has been regularly interacting with students and has large number of followers on Facebook. Sources said Pawan uses feedback from live interactions to frame party policies and programmes. He has announced several programmes, including free food, education and transport to students in institutions of higher learning.