As the nation gears up for the upcoming State #AssemblyElections2018 in Chattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana, conversations and debates on Twitter in the past week alone, recorded 1.2 million Tweets related to #AssemblyElections2018. From election emoji to #ElectionOnTwitter events, as well as live Q&As on the platform, Twitter has developed several initiatives to support citizens in having their say in the public conversation leading up to voting day and engaging with political candidates and political leaders directly.

Twitter is the best place to see what's happening and to join in the public conversation. As the nation gears up for the upcoming State #AssemblyElections2018 in Chattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana, conversations and debates on Twitter in the past week alone, recorded 1.2 million Tweets related to#AssemblyElections2018. From election emoji to #ElectionOnTwitter events, as well as live Q&As on the platform, Twitter has developed several initiatives to support citizens in having their say in the public conversation leading up to voting day and engaging with political candidates and political leaders directly.

Customized emoji for #AssemblyElections2018

Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia/status/1060798132953346048

The platform has launched a special emoji to light up the conversations around these State Elections. From now until 23 Dec 2018, citizens can activate a special Twitter #AssemblyElections2018 emoji using the following hashtags in a Tweet. State-specific hashtags are included so that citizens can follow the conversations unique to their states.

#AssemblyElections2018, #IndiaElections2018, #IndiaDecides, #विधानसभाचुनाव2018, #फैसला2018, #RajasthanElections2018, #RajasthanElections, #राजस्थानचुनाव,#राजस्थानचुनाव2018, #ChattisgarhElections2018, #ChattisgarhElections, #छत्तीसगढ़चुनाव, #छत्तीसगढ़चुनाव2018, #MadhyaPradeshElections2018, #MadhyaPradeshElections,#मध्यप्रदेशचुनाव, #मध्यप्रदेशचुनाव2018, #MizoramElections2018, #MizoramElections, #TelanganaElections2018, #TelanganaElections, #తెలంగాణఎన్నికలు,#తెలంగాణఎన్నికలు2018

#ElectionsOnTwitter

As part of the #ElectionsOnTwitter initiative, Twitter continues to conduct events and workshops with political parties in election states so as to share best practices, account safety and reporting tools.

Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/trspartyonline/status/1047810731964596224

Embeddable Tweet:https://twitter.com/hirendrakaushik/status/1040423577894318081

Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/INCRajasthan/status/1040201925818572800

#DemocracyAdda

In the lead up to the State Elections, Twitter partnered youth organization @YouthKiAwaaz in hosting a series of #DemocracyAdda youth summits across cities.

The first session was held in New Delhi in September, where Twitter co-hosted a series of 3 panels with Youth ki Awaaz, featuring speakers who were primarily Members of Parliament and political party spokespersons. They participated on three Twitter-exclusive debates: ‘The Three Pillars’ (on checks and balances in Indian democracy), ‘Can the Centre Hold’ (on the rise of federalism) and ‘The Politics of Protest’ (on activism and social media). The event was live-streamed and also attended by over 1000 young people.

Subsequent #DemocracyAdda events were also held in three elections states (Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh) in collaboration with Youth Ki Awaaz. From topics like digital education, the importance of voting, employment and more, the events encourage Indian youth to debate and discuss key societal issues today. Leaders from across parties and civil society representatives from the state participated in panel discussions. Also onboard were Local partners from each state such as CUTS, Pravah, Commutiny, Jagran Lakecity University, The Optimist Citizen, & SPACE.

https://twitter.com/PoliceWaliPblic/status/1050703222514495489

https://twitter.com/VandanaSsingh/status/1036513735123206144

https://twitter.com/TwitterIndia/status/1036143313634639872

https://twitter.com/surendrasuri/status/1048563076834836480

https://twitter.com/YouthKiAwaaz/status/1055069699426398209

Next in the series would be the #FutureOfTelangana event in Hyderabad on 17 November.
 

#AskTheLeader Twitter Q&A Series

Twitter also organized a live Q&A series called #AskTheLeader where citizens could have direct access and conversation with their leaders on a regular basis. Rajasthan Congress President @SachinPilot and Telangana IT Minister @KTRTRS were among the first to join the Twitter Q&A with voters, answering questions on key issues affecting the state. Stay tuned to more from other key leaders in the coming days.

Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/KTRTRS/status/1047815627442806784

Embeddable Tweet:https://twitter.com/INCRajasthan/status/1033283619152949249

Mahima Kaul, Director, Public Policy, Twitter India and South Asia, said “The vibrancy of Indian elections is already visible on Twitter, with regional parties and leaders using the platform to connect with the voters, opinion makers, youth and media. The state elections are particularly exciting on Twitter as you can see, on one platform, voices from all parts of India converge around common themes, and see local flavours that build a national conversation. We’re also seeing a rise of local language content, and are proud to empower such a vibrant conversation on the platform. Twitter is truly where India comes to see “what’s happening!”

Stay on top of #AssemblyElections2018 by following the above state elections hashtags, party handles and candidates on Twitter today:

@INCIndia ‏

@BJP4India

Rajasthan:

@INCRajasthan ‏

@BJPRajasthan

‏

MadhyaPradesh:

@MPSamajwadi ‏

@INCMP ‏

@BJP4MP ‏

Mizoram:

@INCMizoram ‏

@BJP4Mizoram ‏

Chattisgarh:

@INCChhattisgarh ‏

@BJP4CGState ‏

Telangana:

@trspartyonline ‏

@INCTelangana ‏

@BJP4Telangana ‏

@asadowaisi ‏ (AIMIM)