With different political parties trying to reach out to netizens, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has outstripped them all as her official Facebook page on Wednesday crossed one lakh followers. It was around one-and-a-half month ago that Banerjee, who earlier courted controversy for being 'intolerant' of comments and cartoons about her on social networking sites, had joined the social media by registering her presence on Facebook.
"In an age of 360 degree communication, we want to stay in touch with people by using all available platforms for communication - from street meetings to posters, stage events to electronic and print media. And, now it has stretched to social media platforms," Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O'Brien said.
Party sources said Banerjee spent close to half-an-hour every day on social media sites after returning home from office. Other politicians were also trying to build up their online base but were far behind 'didi' in the virtual race.
Among other Trinamool Congress leaders having a strong online presence is Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim who joined Facebook in January, 2011 and now has more than 2,600 online friends.