Body Blow for BJP as Maha Social Media Head Quits!

Ashish Merkhed, the man who helped build the BJP’s social media profile in Maharashtra, has suddenly quit, just days before Mumbai goes to polls in the general elections. Merkhed cited an illness in the family for his sudden departure.

The 38 year old from Nagpur was responsible for creating Wikipedia pages of all top BJP leaders and helping increase their following on Twitter. He was also a driving force behind the Maharashtra BJP’s social media war rooms. But according to this report in Mumbai Mirror, Merkhed was frustrated by groupism within the BJP IT cell and a faction that was acting to push him to the sidelines.

The timing of his departure in crucial, not only because it came less than a week before key constituencies in Maharashtra go to polls, but also because of the increase in the daily onslaught the BJP is facing on social media from not just the Congress but also local Maharashtra leaders like Raj Thackeray. It will be extremely difficult for the BJP to recover from Merkhed’s loss.