4 days ago
BJP Uses Memes and Gen-Z Slang to Reach Young Indians
The Bharatiya Janata Party wants more young people to notice its messages online.
It is using funny pictures, popular characters, music references and internet slang.
Some posts praise government work, while others criticize Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.
The party says Instagram is especially important because many young people use it.
Deepak Mhaske, its new social-media head, plans to use more reels.
The Congress is also trying to reach young people through Rahul Gandhi’s student-focused events.
Both parties show their leaders meeting or interacting with younger people.
The BJP says its new style is meant to build a connection with the next generation.
The article describes this as a shift toward pop-culture-led political communication.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is expanding its social-media strategy with memes, pop-culture references and Gen-Z slang.
Recent posts have used characters and formats associated with Spider-Man, Motu-Patlu, Spartacus, Drake and American Psycho.
BJP content also attacks Rahul Gandhi and promotes government schemes, infrastructure and speeches by party leaders.
Deepak Mhaske, the party’s new social-media head, said Instagram reels would be a main focus for youth outreach.
The Indian National Congress is also targeting young people through Rahul Gandhi’s “Chhatron ki Goon” events and youth-focused visuals.
- Who
- The Bharatiya Janata Party, its social-media team and leaders including Narendra Modi and Amit Shah; the Indian National Congress and Rahul Gandhi are also involved in the youth-outreach competition.
- What
- The BJP is adopting memes, pop-culture references, Gen-Z slang and Instagram reels as part of a renewed social-media strategy, while the Congress is pursuing its own youth-focused outreach.
- Where
- The activity is focused on social-media platforms, especially Instagram, and includes content from BJP state accounts such as those in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- The strategy was described as recent; Deepak Mhaske spoke to NDTV after his elevation on August 18.
- Why
- The BJP wants to connect with younger Indians and disseminate information about government policies, while also responding to criticism from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress.
BJP’s Digital Outreach
Congress’s Youth Outreach
Communication style
BJP’s Digital Outreach
The BJP is using memes, pop-culture references, AI-generated visuals and Gen-Z expressions to make political and policy messages more accessible to younger audiences.
Congress’s Youth Outreach
The Congress is also presenting its leaders interacting with young people and is emphasizing Rahul Gandhi’s student- and youth-focused events.
Political messaging
BJP’s Digital Outreach
BJP posts promote government schemes, infrastructure and speeches while criticizing Rahul Gandhi and claims made against the BJP and its government.
Congress’s Youth Outreach
Rahul Gandhi has criticized the BJP, the RSS and Narendra Modi as being “stuck in the past,” arguing that the past cannot fight the future.
Approach to younger voters
BJP’s Digital Outreach
The BJP says Instagram is where many young people are active and intends to use targeted reels to disseminate government-policy information.
Congress’s Youth Outreach
The Congress is seeking youth engagement through the “Chhatron ki Goon” series, including an event in Pune focused exclusively on girls and women.
Key facts
- Main platform
- Instagram is the primary focus identified by Deepak Mhaske, particularly through reels.
- Target audience
- Gen Z, described in the article as people born between 1997 and 2012.
- BJP social-media head
- Deepak Mhaske replaced longtime social-media head Amita Malviya.
- Content formats
- Memes, AI-generated cartoon strips, speech clips, memorial posts and bullet-point graphics on government schemes.
- BJP state account highlighted
- The Chhattisgarh account drew attention for contrasting two types of Gen Z.
- Congress outreach
- Rahul Gandhi’s recent youth engagement has centered on the “Chhatron ki Goon” series of events.
- Population context
- The article says Gen Z makes up around a quarter of India’s population, with millennials making up at least another quarter.
Quotes
Deepak Mhaske
BJP social media chief discussing the party’s Instagram strategy
“Young people are mostly on Insta, so we will focus on disseminating information on government policies more via reels. We will work on specific content targeting young people on Instagram”
NDTV
“the past can never fight the future”
NDTV
Sources
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