Till a couple of months ago, the fate of the now-ongoing elections was signed and sealed. From them till now, there has been more excitement, even though the outcome is unlikely to be different from the one originally predicted, going by various accounts. June 4, the designated day for counting and results, is set to be a huge day from a media perspective, even though being a working day would curtail daytime viewership.
Our news channels have not surprised us one bit during their coverage of these elections, predictably toeing the lines they have for almost a decade now. Yet, it is difficult to not appreciate the relentless hard work that a political journalist, however biased, must put in during elections as long-drawn as these have been.
What has been different about the media playout of these elections is the increasing role social media, especially viral WhatsApp and Reels, have played in information dissemination. While the impact of such platforms was evident even in the previous two elections, it continues to get more mainstream, given the growing audience base with each passing year.
We have also seen some young politicians provide entertain in good measure, infusing fresh energy amidst election fatigue, and providing fodder for viral videos too. Akhilesh Yadav is an old hand, but he has been in good form this year in his rallies. Priyanka Gandhi has impressed with her deft oration in Hindi. Kanhaiya Kumar has been expectedly feisty in his speeches. But the one who has really stood out is Tejashwi Yadav. I’m sure we will hear more of him soon.
June 4 punctuates two big cricket matches: the IPL final about a week before it, and an India-Pakistan World T20 clash a week after. Between these three days, we can expect huge sums of advertising moneys to be spent on media, both traditional and digital.
The day I’m looking forward to even more is June 1. It’s the last day of polling, and in the evening, the Election Commission embargo on sharing exit poll findings will be lifted. More than what the exit polls have to say, I’m looking for some humor in the mad rush one can expect our news channels to indulge in, that evening. Over the last two months, several pollsters have been on news channels, giving cryptic, qualitative hints, when they should be faithfully abstaining from media presence, in true spirit of the very logical embargo. But it’s hard to resist media coverage, I guess.
By all accounts, second week of June should see return to media normalcy, unless we witness the unlikely scenario of a hung Parliament. But that’s still two exciting weeks away.