The WhatsApp election in India

As the most influential social media platform in many parts of the world, the messaging app can shape a country's political future

Posters of the film, PM Narendra Modi, in Mumbai. Over 300 million Indians are on WhatsApp and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is using it to wage one of the world's most sophisticated digital political campaigns, carried out by a vast army of volu
Posters of the film, PM Narendra Modi, in Mumbai. Over 300 million Indians are on WhatsApp and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is using it to wage one of the world's most sophisticated digital political campaigns, carried out by a vast army of volunteers. WhatsApp conversations are impenetrable but that has made it more vulnerable to misuse, especially in elections, say critics, who add that it has become a platform for spreading campaign-related misinformation. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Ms Sanjukta Pandey quit her job as a hair and make-up stylist in March to devote herself to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election campaign on social media.

Ms Pandey, a feisty 32-year-old wearing huge hoop earrings, neon pink lipstick and a tattoo of Mr Modi's name on her left forearm, now spends her waking hours spreading his election message on WhatsApp and other social media apps. "I'm online almost 24/7. I don't go to sleep; we want Mr Modi to come back," she says. "You won't see anyone getting inked with Rahul Gandhi's name."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 07, 2019, with the headline The WhatsApp election in India. Subscribe