In our digitizing world, elections are fought not just on the ground but also on social media platforms. Since 2014, social media has become a critical tool for election campaigning, often revealing public sentiment and the on-ground reality. Let's explore who is leading the social media game this election season.
India Today's Open-Source Intelligence team (OSINT) analyzed the social media page growth of BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Trinamool Congress (TMC), along with the metrics for these political parties' leaders for January, February, and March.
Source: aajtak
The analysis reveals that BJP's dominance on social media is intact, and its growth is indeed surpassing that of its counterparts. However, both Congress and AAP have been successful in adding new users on Instagram and YouTube.
Trinamool Congress (TMC), the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha, has a less significant presence on social media compared to other major parties, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to lead among the politicians.
'X' Factor
Elon Musk's previous Twitter presence has proven to be the 'X' factor for political parties as well. This year, each party's followers continually increased. However, in January, AAP saw a surprising dip with nearly 1,200 followers lost.
Source: aajtak
On 'X', BJP added about 120,000 followers each month in January and February, and then 170,000 new users in March.
According to analytics firm Social Blade, the Congress Party's 'X' account increased by 59,000 in January, 70,000 in February, and over 108,000 in March. TMC added 1,600 in January, 1,800 in February, and 6,400 in March.
What about YouTube?
On YouTube, AAP put on a formidable show. When it comes to gaining new subscribers, both the Congress and AAP YouTube channels have seen consistent growth, while BJP's channel experienced a decline.
Source: aajtak
The AAP YouTube channel gained 590,000 subscribers in three months, with a notable increase of over 360,000 subscribers in March - the same month when Delhi's alleged liquor scam investigation by ED saw Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrested.
This year's first quarter saw BJP's YouTube channel increase by 530,000 subscribers and Congress by 500,000. TMC only increased by 28,000 subscribers.
Despite the subscriber drop, BJP's YouTube channel still managed to accrue millions of views. Videos on their channel received over 430 million views in three months. They were followed by AAP with 307.8 million views and Congress with 166.9 million views. TMC's YouTube channel was viewed 93 million times, according to data.
Instagram: The GenZ Hub
Political parties are also campaigning on Instagram to extend their reach to first-time voters.
Recent analysis by India Today showed that between December 2023 and March 2024, the bulk of the online campaigning expenses on Meta platforms was accounted for by Instagram.
Source: aajtak
This quarter, Instagram saw the maximum follower increase for the Congress, gaining 1.32 million followers. BJP was next, adding 850,000 followers, and AAP connected with 230,000. TMC saw only 6,000 new followers on their Instagram page.
Which Leaders are Ahead?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the most influential leader across all social media platforms, far ahead of Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and Mamata Banerjee.
From January to March, PM Modi's 'X' account increased by 2.6 million new followers. In contrast, Rahul Gandhi saw an increase of nearly 500,000 followers. Arvind Kejriwal added 100,000, and Mamata Banerjee gained 52,000 new followers.
Prime Minister Modi is also the most active user on 'X', with 1,365 posts over three months. In comparison, during the same period, Rahul Gandhi posted 187 times, and Kejriwal made 270 posts.
Source: aajtak
On Instagram, about 88 million users follow PM Modi. Between January and March, he added 5.2 million followers. Rahul Gandhi increased his following by 1.2 million, and Kejriwal by 300,000 during the same time.
PM Modi's popularity continues on YouTube too, with his videos being watched 477 million times in three months—over double the combined views of Rahul and Kejriwal.
However, there is some relief for the Gandhi family; while PM Modi's YouTube channel gained 240,000 subscribers, Rahul Gandhi's rose by 5 million subscribers in the past quarter.
