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Parties enlist stars of Insta, YouTube; hyper-local influencers seen as key to votes

The election strategy raises concern given India’s growing problem of online misinformation and the risk fake news poses

Indian social media influencer Chandni Bhagat, known for her devotional content, has now integrated politics into her Instagram posts. She is among many influencers mobilized by political parties ahead of elections to engage India's online youth. Bhagat, with over 200,000 followers, has been promoting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its initiatives. Political parties in India are tapping into the vast reach of social media influencers to spread their messages and engage with voters, particularly the younger demographic.

Millions of young voters are coming of age for the 2024 elections, making them a goldmine for parties! Insta & YouTube are their political newsfeeds. Influencers are the new local news anchors. ️This election will be a battleground of clicks & shares. Who will win the Gen Z vote? Listen to the latest episode of The Morning Brief podcast where host Apoorva Mittal talks to Devang Dave, Election Management Committee - Bharatiya Janata Party Maharashtra, Dhawal Vasavada, Political Consultant and Election Analyst - PoliticalEDGE, and Shailesh Lilhare, Youtuber and Instagram Influencer. Tu...

Political parties including BJP and Congress have extensively utilised social media influencers to spread their messages since the beginning of 2023. During his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi gave exclusive interviews to YouTubers. A July report by News Laundry says BJP had meet-ups with influencers in at least 18 states as part of its initiative to engage with young voters during the ‘Nine Years of Modi campaign and in the run-up to the 2024 polls.