As India heads deeper into the digital age, Twitter (now X) is no longer just a platform for opinions—it has become a political battleground. The growing reliance on hashtags, influencers, and viral videos to shape narratives raises a provocative question: Is Twitter merely a messenger—or is it beginning to influence who governs the world’s largest democracy?
The short answer: Twitter cannot form a government, but it can, and increasingly does, influence who gets to set the political agenda.
BJP: The Digital Vanguard
Among all political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is undisputedly the most organised and aggressive in its use of Twitter. Armed with a robust IT Cell, content factories, and a vast influencer ecosystem, the BJP has successfully transformed digital platforms into an extension of its electoral campaign.
Campaign slogans like “Main Bhi Chowkidar”, “Modi Hai To Mumkin Hai”, and “Viksit Bharat @2047” were born on social media and later echoed across speeches, hoardings, and newsrooms. Hashtag campaigns are meticulously timed with rallies, policy announcements, and controversies. Even criticism is often co-opted, spun, and redirected.
For the BJP, Twitter is not just a platform—it’s a tool of narrative domination.
Congress: Late to the Digital Battle
The Indian National Congress, once the custodian of India’s freedom struggle, has struggled to find its voice in the digital din. Despite the presence of leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh on Twitter, the party’s outreach remains sporadic, reactive, and loosely coordinated.
Efforts like Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra gained momentum on Twitter, but the follow-through was limited. Hashtags like #Unemployment, #AdaniScam, or #ModiFail often trend, but without the consistency or mass traction that BJP manages. The Congress has improved its digital coordination in recent years, especially during state elections, but its message often gets lost amid louder, more aggressive voices.
The party is now building a more professional social media team, but it still lags in terms of digital firepower, influencer engagement, and content innovation.
Other Parties: Loud but Limited
Other parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party (SP), DMK, and Shiv Sena (UBT) have increasingly turned to Twitter to bypass national media filters.
- AAP, under Arvind Kejriwal, uses Twitter as a strategic messaging platform. From targeting BJP over electricity and water issues in Delhi to promoting schemes like Mohalla Clinics or free education, AAP’s digital approach is issue-based and visually driven.
- TMC under Mamata Banerjee uses Twitter for federal posturing and identity politics, especially in opposition to the Centre.
- SP, RJD, and DMK have regional impact, but their Twitter activity is often limited to statements rather than full-fledged campaigns.
These parties, despite being digitally active, lack the scale and algorithmic edge to compete with BJP’s national machine.
Twitter vs Government: The Bigger Picture
Twitter’s relationship with Indian politics goes beyond party campaigns. The platform itself has been dragged into political controversies—most notably during the 2021 farmers’ protest and over content flagged as “manipulated media” by BJP leaders.
In multiple instances, the government issued takedown orders under Section 69A of the IT Act, citing threats to public order or national security. Twitter resisted, leading to lawsuits, high-level meetings, and even threats of criminal action against its India-based staff. Elon Musk’s X has now taken a more compliant posture, but the underlying tension between platform independence and state control remains.
This tension reflects a deeper issue: Can a privately-owned, foreign platform serve as a neutral space for democratic discourse in a politically charged environment?
The Real Issue: Manufactured Consent?
It’s no secret that Twitter trends can be engineered. Political IT cells across parties—though BJP’s remains the largest—use bot armies, troll networks, and influencer deals to dominate timelines. Tools like Tek Fog (allegedly used to manipulate Twitter trends and suppress dissent) show how technology is being weaponised to create manufactured consent.
In this context, popular doesn’t always mean public. A hashtag trending nationwide may be the work of 2,000 coordinated accounts—not a reflection of ground sentiment.
This distortion of reality, if unchecked, threatens the health of democratic debate.
Conclusion: Twitter Can’t Elect, But It Can Influence
India’s elections are ultimately decided by ground mobilisation, caste coalitions, governance records, and local issues—not retweets or hashtags. But to deny the power of Twitter would be a mistake.
It is the new front line of political warfare, where perception often overtakes policy. It can set narratives, polarise voters, discredit opponents, and influence media headlines. All major parties are now forced to engage with it—some lead it, some follow, and others struggle to catch up.
In the end, Twitter may not decide who forms the government, but it increasingly decides who controls the story. And in politics, controlling the story is often half the battle won.
