In the 2014 General Elections in the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party, for the first time, used digital and social media focused political marketing for its politicians. Since then, there has been a paradigm shift from traditional modes of promotion to digital mediums, especially social media. Through social media, political people and parties have successfully bridged numerous gaps and reached wider audiences.In the political space of India, social media plays a very important role in changing the face of elections and establishing a party's strength and positioning in the country.
With digital and social media as the new battlegrounds of Indian elections, political parties and organizations incessantly dedicate funds and a lot of attention to structuring and implementing content-driven online campaigns that can influence the digitally engaged voting generations of the country. For a political party or its candidate, social media focussed political campaigns, if done correctly, have the power to swing narratives and change the minds of potential voters in the party's favor.Even though traditional methods like posters, rallies, cutouts, and fliers have not become redundant and still hold value, social media-driven political marketing is a sure-short way of reaching the youth of the country and converting it into potential voters. Social media, in the political space, also proves to be a tool for two-way communication between parties and the general public.
Additionally, professional political marketing on social media platforms encourages image boosting of politicians. This, very directly, affects first-time impressionable voters of the country and therefore affects the overall election results.During elections, another crucial role that digital and social media play is that of freedom of expression and public engagement. It has, in ways more than one, overtaken mainstream media channels in terms of granular reach.To conclude, social media's role in Indian politics is important - one that will continue to affect elections.