When Ashish Mishra, a content creator from Ayodhya, pointed his camera at the newly inaugurated Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, he wasn't just creating another viral reel. He was part of a sophisticated political machine that would help shape India's most digitally-driven election yet.
Mishra’s over 200K followers were absorbing carefully crafted political messages – a testament to how 2024 became the year politicians transformed social media influencers into political messengers.
India's 2024 general election, spanning six weeks from April to June, wasn't just fought at rallies and polling booths. The real battleground had shifted to smartphone screens, where political parties waged an unprecedented campaign through an army of digital content creators.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's National Democratic Alliance may have secured victory, but the election revealed a new playbook in political communication – one where Instagram reels carried as much weight as traditional campaign speeches.
These digital personalities, who had already shaped trends in fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment, were now being courted by political parties to help sway public opinion. What was once seen as a niche form of influence became a central component of election strategy.
With over a billion eligible voters, the election became a high-stakes battle for influence both within India and globally. Political parties mobilised resources and strategies, recognising that the race was not just about rallies and manifestos—it was about reaching voters where they were most active: online.
From Ram Mandir to Reels
The transformation started with the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a long standing promise of the BJP government. The event itself highlighted the growing influence of social media creators in Indian politics and cultural promotion in broad strokes.
Content creators like Ashish Mishra and Harshvardhan Varma became key players in amplifying the temple’s significance online, gaining millions of followers and brand collaborations along the way. Supported by the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, which allocated funds to engage influencers since the Bhoomi Poojan in 2020, creators began documenting and promoting religious and cultural tourism.
Decode covered how small-town storytellers and popular influencers leveraged this opportunity to transform their careers, earning steady income through collaborations with ‘spiritual’ brands and tourism departments of BJP-led states.
Influencer-led initiatives like the “Ramotsav Yatra”, facilitated by BJP leaders and organisations, also showcased the convergence of politics, religion, and social media.
The government's commitment to this new strategy became clear in March, a month before the elections, when it orchestrated the National Creators Awards.
While officially described as an effort to celebrate exceptional creators, the event and its massive social media promotion cost over Rs 2.4 crore in a week including Rs 1.4 crore on Meta ads featuring influencers praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Influencers praised government initiatives, shared interactions with the Prime Minister, and further amplified the ruling party's messaging.
Decode’s analysis revealed that many award winners posted content aligning with religious themes, photos of meeting with BJP leaders, and in general promoting the ruling party’s broader ideas.
Blurring Lines: Politics, Culture, and Social Media
As political parties fine-tuned their election strategies, they recognised that traditional campaigns alone would not suffice in reaching an increasingly digital-savvy electorate. Social media, particularly the rise of influencers, became an undeniable force in shaping narratives and amplifying agendas.
From documenting temples to showcasing government initiatives, influencers seamlessly blended cultural promotion with political messaging, often without transparency about their associations.
In its "Viral for Votes" series, Decode explored how political parties, especially ahead of elections, leveraged influencers to promote themselves on social media, often without disclaimers or "sponsored" tags.
Influencers like Harsh Patel and Akash Choudhary told Decode that they were compensated by the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments to promote "culture", but chose not to label their reels as "paid partnerships" or "ads."
While these UP-based influencers were not paid for some of their most popular content featuring famous temples, they were granted exclusive access to heavily secured temple premises—a favour that Instagram's policies do not classify as a formal business arrangement, thereby not requiring disclosure.
In Bhopal, Malay Dixit, head of the Indore BJP IT Cell, organised a "Ramotsav Yatra", where 250 influencers documented the "Ram Van Gaman Path". The effort resulted in a flood of reels and vlogs showcasing Modi as the visionary behind the temple.
Some influencers have been handsomely ‘rewarded’ for their politically-themed content. For instance, Indore-based creator Veer Sharma and his partner Parul Ahirwar emerged as key promoters of BJP schemes, using videos to amplify government initiatives and earning recognition as “lavish influencers” for their work.
State Policies and Influencer Engagement
Political parties are now extending their influencer engagement strategies beyond election campaigns, actively designing schemes to enlist digital creators for promoting state government development projects.
Recently, state governments like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Assam have rolled out policies to empanel influencers with significant followings, tasking them with showcasing progress and achievements in their respective regions.
However, as influencers increasingly engage in state-endorsed content, questions about transparency, neutrality, and the ethical implications of government-funded narratives remain unresolved.
For instance, the Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy 2024 seeks to formalise collaborations between the government and influencers to promote state schemes and highlight cultural and economic developments.
The said policy has also raised concerns about transparency and independence, as it encourages influencers to focus on positive narratives while granting authorities the power to withhold payments for content deemed "anti-national" or offensive.
Speaking to Decode, critics warned that these policies could compromise artistic freedom, pushing creators toward government-approved narratives while sidelining dissenting voices. Yet, as political parties continue to refine their digital strategies, one thing is clear: the marriage of political messaging and influencer content has fundamentally altered India's political landscape.
The year 2024 didn't just choose India's leaders – it revealed how social media influence has become an indispensable tool in modern political campaigns.