Social media campaigns, ground mobilisation: How BJP is countering Oppn narrative, amplifying political messaging

From sharp social media attacks and political songs targeting opposition leaders to marches, rallies and public meetings across states, the BJP is increasingly combining its digital outreach with street-level mobilisation to amplify its political messaging and counter the opposition's narrative.

The renewed push follows the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, where opposition leaders accused the BJP of electoral irregularities and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also warned that the CEC would face action in the future for alleged electoral wrongdoing. The BJP responded by stepping up its counter-offensive, accusing the opposition of undermining democratic institutions and questioning the Election Commission's credibility.

Its campaign has been marked by coordinated programmes across states, with its senior leaders, Union ministers and state functionaries taking part in marches, public meetings and press conferences. "The entire campaign, from padayatras to online and digital outreach programmes, is being run in coordination with the state units.

One of the main focus areas is exposing Rahul Gandhi's lies by presenting facts before the people, including on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls," a BJP source told PTI. "Our teams are working across districts, telling the youth about the falsehoods being spread by Rahul Gandhi, not just in BJP-ruled states but also those ruled by the opposition.

"People are being told how Rahul Gandhi is working with foreign forces to destabilise the country. A major focus of this campaign is to tell the people that Rahul Gandhi is only interested in a regime change with foreign help," the source added.

BJP president Nitin Nabin is leading the party's organisational push, with marches planned in different parts of the country. Union ministers Amit Shah, J P Nadda and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, among others, are also participating in the programmes, while state leaders have been tasked with mobilising party workers and taking the campaign to the grassroots.

The party is also using social media to sharpen its attacks on the opposition leaders, particularly Rahul Gandhi, through videos, songs, graphics and pointed political messages. The digital campaigns have become a prominent feature of its efforts to frame the political debate and counter the allegations levelled by the opposition parties.

What makes the latest campaign significant is the way the BJP is attempting to connect its online messaging with physical mobilisation. While social media allows the party to circulate its political narrative rapidly and reach a wider audience, marches and public meetings provide an opportunity to translate that messaging into visible political action.

The involvement of student organisations has added another dimension to this outreach. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is organising rallies and protest marches, including a mega student rally at Delhi University, taking the campaign to educational institutions and mobilising the youth around the party's political narrative.

ABVP national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki said that through the 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' campaign and student rallies, the organisation is raising a strong voice against the attempts by Rahul Gandhi and the opposition to create distrust in democratic institutions and undermine democratic values.

He said the success of ABVP's rallies in major educational centres, including in Lucknow, Patna, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, reflects the growing support among students for democratic values and constructive leadership.