More than two months of high-pitch campaigning by political parties in India바카라s mammoth election exercise came to an end on Thursday, two days before the final phase of voting on June 1 for the remaining 57 seats.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the BJP-led NDA is widely expected to win his third successive term, the party바카라s campaign has come under the radar of the opposition and critics for being overly shrill against Muslims.
As we await the results, here are some top points from BJP바카라s high-octane election campaigning:
A shrill electoral campaign
Soon after the first few phases of elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party leaders stepped up their attack on the opposition by accusing them of hatching a conspiracy to 바카라snatch your property바카라 and distribute it among 바카라infiltrators바카라 and 바카라those who have more children,바카라 바카라 this was said in an apparent reference to Muslims.
While addressing a rally in Rajasthan바카라s Banswara, Modi also warned 바카라mothers and sisters바카라 of the Congress party바카라s alleged intentions of taking away their 바카라mangalsutras바카라 to give it to the Muslims.
Despite criticism from civil society activists and opposition leaders, the Prime Minister doubled down on his comments, claiming that the Congress party is conspiring to commit 바카라vote jihad바카라 by uniting 바카라a certain community바카라 against him.
Not just the PM himself, but several senior BJP leaders have been accused of indulging in communally divisive rhetoric in their campaign speeches.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in his speech on May 10, in Birbhum, West Bengal, claimed that parties like TMC had 바카라allowed infiltration바카라 for Muslim appeasement. 바카라Mamata ji became the Chief Minister of Bengal by using slogans of Maa, Maati, Manush. And now the slogan has changed to Mullah, Madrasa, and Mafia in the pursuit of appeasement. Mullahs have been given full freedom, Madrasas are given our wealth and the mafia are openly allowed to loot the poor population. Mamata Banerjee ji, these things won바카라t work in the future,바카라 he said.
Social media game of BJP
The saffron party was the frontrunner with regards to spending on political advertisements on social media. It spent at least Rs 41 crore on political advertisements through Google since the Model Code of Conduct came into place, according to statistics from Google바카라s Ads Transparency Center.
The party also made use of rising influencers on social media as marketers for its electoral campaign. In the weeks leading up to elections, BJP leaders were featured in most interviews conducted by social media influencers on their channels. According to research by Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, of the five most viewed interviews by five different influencers, BJP completely dominated the landscape in comparison to opposition leaders.
In fact, in March, just about five weeks before the election got underway, PM handed out awards to 24 prominent social media influencers at the country바카라s first-ever National Creators Award ceremony to promote "storytellers of a confident, assertive New India," 바카라 signalling a new shift in campaign strategy of the incumbent government at the Centre.
Omnipresent Modi
In the run-up to the election, and even amidst the exercise, Prime Minister Modi바카라s face and cutouts were everywhere 바카라 an 바카라omnipresent Modi바카라. From naming BJP바카라s promises to 바카라Modi바카라s guarantees바카라, slogans and songs, to most billboards, bus stops, and railway stations, PM Modi바카라s face became the party바카라s most used tool for campaigning.
A CSDS-Lokniti study on 150 songs on YouTube and 11 dailies has revealed that the BJP has emphasised PM Modi바카라s charisma as the platform for campaigning for the elections.
Outlook, in its issue 바카라Omnipresent Omniscient바카라, looked at this 바카라Brand Modi바카라 and his image game. 바카라There is no doubt that the powerful images we are being bombarded with have been designed for and will have lethal consequences on the imminent elections,바카라 Dilip Cherian, India바카라s image guru, wrote in February 2024.
Interviews with the media
The Prime Minister, who has been known to not attend a single press conference in India during his term, gave a spate of interviews to TV channels in the run-up to multiple phases of the elections. In most of these interviews, he spoke at length about the government바카라s achievements and traded barbs at the opposition, while the media was publicly criticised for not asking follow-up/tough questions on the current government바카라s failures.
Some comments he made during these interviews went viral; for example: in an interview to anchor Rubika Liaqat, Modi said, 바카라Until my mother was alive, I used to think I was born biologically. After her demise, when I look at my experiences, I am convinced that I was sent by god. This strength is not from my body. It has been given to me by god.바카라
In another interview with News18 India channel, when asked to explain his controversial remarks at the Rajasthan rally, he said, 바카라The day I do Hindu-Muslim, I will be unworthy of public life.바카라 Several news websites, including Outlook, conducted a fact-check to point out that the PM in fact had made comments against Muslims in the past.
바카라400 Paar바카라
Leaders of the BJP have been claiming that they will win more than 400 (370 BJP + 30 allies) seats in the elections. 바카라Abki baar 400 paar바카라 has been one of the many slogans that the party바카라s leaders have been using during campaigns. While they continue to reiterate their confidence in this number, opposition leaders have pointed out that the saffron party has been playing down the slogan after two phases of the election.
"BJP people did not know the direction of the wind, so they kept saying 바카라400 paar' (winning over 400 seats) and when they realised the public sentiment after the two phases of the election, BJP forgot its slogan,바카라 former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said recently while addressing a rally in Sambhal.
