How political parties are leveraging social media ahead of 2019 elections

With 500 million internet users, which is about half of India's electorate, no party can afford to ignore the digital space

Gone are the days when rallies and speeches were considered paramount for winning elections. While these continue to be important means for politicians to get their message across to the public, one more medium — social media — has emerged as an integral part of the electoral battle. 

With the general elections round the corner, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and even upstarts in the space such as ShareChat and TikTok are buzzing with political conversations — conversations that the parties are hoping to leverage to woo the electorate.

With 500 million internet users, which is about half of India’s electorate,