Modi’s Social Media Gambit: A Desperate Bid for Relevance?

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken to Instagram in a bid to win over young voters, following protests by Gen-Z activists who highlighted the growing frustration among India’s youth over lack of job and education opportunities. The move marks a significant shift in strategy for Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has traditionally relied on carefully scripted messaging and tightly controlled communication channels.

Modi’s Instagram debut, featuring selfie-style videos shot after hours, is part of a broader digital charm offensive aimed at winning over 400 million Gen-Z voters ahead of the general elections in 2029. The effort includes cabinet ministers and government departments issuing short, lightly edited clips online, with even the foreign ministry taking to Snapchat.

Analysts argue that platforms like Instagram reward spontaneity, humor, and authenticity over tightly scripted messaging – qualities that Modi’s carefully cultivated image has always lacked. The protesters’ success in amplifying their message on Instagram, using raw and unedited content to challenge Modi’s command of the public narrative, is a stark reminder of the BJP’s earlier failure to connect with young audiences.

The BJP’s renewed outreach reflects the growing political importance of younger voters in India. More than half of the country’s population consists of those under 35, and Gen-Z is expected to form one of the largest voting blocs by 2029 – a prospect that could secure Modi a fourth term in office.

However, the BJP’s strategy bears an uncanny resemblance to previous attempts to co-opt younger voters through tokenistic gestures. The recent posters proclaiming “I am Gen Z” bearing pledges attributed to the youth may appease some, but they risk reinforcing the perception that Modi’s government is more interested in manipulating public opinion than genuinely addressing the concerns of India’s young people.

Modi’s cabinet meeting after the protests suggests a growing recognition within the BJP that its communication strategy needs an overhaul. The party’s plans for an address by Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to 2,000 students in Mumbai represent one of the parent group’s biggest efforts to engage with Gen-Z – but will it be enough?

Author and podcaster Anurag Minus Verma warns that “serious political messaging, packaged as reels, can still be trolled.” He notes that there will be more focus on Instagram, but it remains to be seen if Gen Z buys into that.

As Modi’s party struggles to connect with a younger generation increasingly disillusioned with its policies, one thing is clear: the BJP’s social media gambit is a desperate bid for relevance in an era where authenticity and spontaneity are prized above carefully scripted messaging. The stakes have never been higher, and only time will tell if this strategy will yield the desired results.