Thiruvananthapuram: Finding someone who isn't on social media is hard these days. But Neyyattinkara municipality in Thiruvananthapuram offers a striking exception- nearly one-third of the candidates contesting the local body elections have no presence on any social media platform.

Of the 161 candidates in the municipality, 50- or 31 per cent- have no social media accounts, according to data from nomination papers filed with the Election Commission.

The remaining 111 candidates are active on social media to varying degrees. However, only 15–25 per cent of them actually use these platforms for election campaigning, with the vast majority still relying on traditional methods to reach voters.

The nomination papers also reveal that 56 candidates lack an email ID. This is a striking fact, as a large number of people who don’t even have a house of their own possess an email address.

Similarly, 25 candidates are likely to ask 'What’s WhatsApp?', as the app is absent on their mobiles. Incidentally, seven of these candidates don’t even have a smartphone.

The number of candidates with a Facebook account is 106, but a mere 41 have installed Instagram, the most favourite social media platform of the new generation. In fact, many of the candidates in Neyyattinkara have never heard about Instagram.

Total candidates in Neyyattinkara: 161
Men: 80
Women: 81

Age of candidates:
21-30 years: 17 candidates (10.55 per cent)
31-50: 81 (50.31 per cent)
51-70: 62 (38.50 per cent)
Above 71: One.