Twitter India and several Chaupal leaders including Samajwadi Party Chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, RJD Leader Tejashwi Yadav, BJP Leader and Union Minister Jayant Sinha, and MP Kavitha Kalvakuntla in Nizamabad, have announced a new initiative #ChaupalOnTwitter to encourage more civic discussions and participations between communities and their leaders through the platform.
The initiative will start from 11 January 2019, with a live #ChaupalOnTwitter Q&A series on Twitter with Samajwadi Party Chief and Former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav in Kannauj, following which #ChaupalOnTwitter Q&As will feature RJD Leader Tejashwi Yadav in Patna, BJP Leader and Union Minister Jayant Sinha in Hazaribagh, and TRS Leader and MP Kavitha Kalvakuntla in Nizamabad.
The Chaupals will facilitate direct engagement sessions between the leader and citizens on Twitter, and on-ground. The Q&A conversation with the leader will also be broadcast live on the platform from the leader’s handle. Questions using the hashtag #ChaupalOnTwitter will be sourced from Twitter users, leading up to the event.
As part of the #ChaupalOnTwitter, Twitter India will organize workshops for communities to learn how to engage further with their Chaupal leaders through the platform and use Twitter to follow the upcoming General Election. These workshops will teach communities how to use Twitter and Twitter Lite to connect with their leaders, gain more information about the elections by following verified news and government partners and voice their opinion by Tweeting in regional languages in an effective and optimal manner.
As India goes digital in a big way, Twitter is already being used as a tool for governance and grievance redressal by government and law enforcement agencies across the country; citizens have taken to the platform from remotest parts of India to interact with institutions, leaders and officials.
Mahima Kaul – Director, Public Policy for Twitter India, says, “We live in times where digital discourse is indispensable, and Twitter continues to be the medium where conversations begin. As we move closer to the upcoming General Election, we are excited to provide a platform where all voices can be heard. Staying consistent with our commitment to serve the public conversation, we are positive #ChaupalOnTwitter will strike a chord with communities across India and will succeed in empowering them with the knowledge of what’s happening in India and around the world.”
Akhilesh Yadav, Party Chief, Samajwadi Party, comments, “In the heart of the potato belt of Uttar Pradesh, the historical capital of India and the birthplace of perfumery- Kannauj- it is my pleasure to host Twitter for a Chaupal in Fakirepurwa, the first micro-grid enabled village in India. Samajwadi Party brings Twitter to villages.”
