A substantial social media following can create the perception that an individual wields considerable influence among people. But when it comes to public support on the ground, reality can deliver a shock. This is what happened to Omprakash Bishnoi, who contested the sarpanch election in Indon Ki Dhani-II gram panchayat in Osian tehsil of Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district. Bishnoi, a self-proclaimed astrologer, influencer and YouTuber, has 2.1 million followers across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Yet, he secured just 33 votes in a village with 1,600 eligible voters.
The electoral rout surprised not only his followers and villagers but also the influencer himself.
His follower base comprises 1.4 million users on Instagram, 2.32 lakh on Facebook and five lakh on YouTube. Bishnoi campaigned extensively on social media, but success eluded him in the panchayat election.
There were three candidates in the fray, including Bishnoi. One of the other candidates, a teacher, secured 527 votes, while the winner runs a car business.
Bishnoi told NDTV that his priorities in the election were to ensure education for every child in the village, care for destitute animals and extend the benefits of government schemes to residents. He claimed to run a cow shelter housing 1,500 cows and said he had donated about 30 bighas of his land for the purpose.
Speaking to NDTV, Bishnoi said people had encouraged him to contest the election, and he was confident of their support.
“The villagers said, ‘You contest the election; we will ensure you win by a huge margin.’ But when the ballot box opened, I got only 33 votes, and 10 votes went to NOTA,” he said.
Bishnoi also said he had neither distributed money or intoxicants to voters nor used a large convoy of vehicles for campaigning. He claimed he continued his public outreach using the same vehicle.
Reflecting on the result, Bishnoi acknowledged the gap between social media popularity and grassroots support.
“Social media is one thing, but the situation on the ground is different. Of my 33 votes, 11 came from my family. The rest came from people who studied with me and were close to me,” he said.
Bishnoi, however, is taking the electoral defeat in his stride. He said contesting an election for the first time had taught him how important it was to connect with voters.
The influencer has vowed not to give up and said he would continue working to improve the lives of villagers.
