India’s Digital Poll Battle: Political Parties and Social Media in the 16th Lok Sabha Elections

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of social media platforms by select political parties (BJP, BSP, CPI(M), INC, NCP and AAP) during the campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The methodology of data collection for the study includes the content analysis of Twitter and Facebook postings on social media platforms by these political parties for a period of 67 days. The study attempts to understand and analyze the strategies adopted by the political parties to interact and communicate with the voters online. It finds that social media has emerged as a virtual site where major political issues have been raised and contested; social media campaign is not simply interactive, but is aggressive as well. While underlying the growing importance and impact of social media in political campaign, this study however observes that it has not been a game changer in the 16th Lok Sabha elections.