Indian Politicians on Social Media

The usage of social media in politics in India is continually growing, with an increasing number of politicians in the country taking advantage of the medium to communicate instantly with thousands of people.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are three basic social media platforms that most politicians use to amplify their presence and clout. Every politician now wants to reach out to individuals directly through Twitter or Facebook.

Even political parties have accounts, which they use to post information on political campaigns, press releases and other news updates. Here are some Indian politicians who use social media:

Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi has been active online for a long time, even before social media grew in popularity. He has a website and a YouTube channel, and with the advent of social media, has also started actively using Facebook and Twitter. He is the first politician in India to  use Google plus.

Facebook and Twitter: Modi joined Facebook and Twitter in 2009. He has a million strong followers on both these platforms. His updates mainly target the youth, consisting mostly of inspiring quotes from Swami Vivekananda and the scriptures, as well as updates on his recent activities. Also, stories of Gujarat and its development are extensively shared. The content from his Facebook Page is replicated on Twitter.

The engagement level from fans on posts is high, with many people commenting, liking and sharing each post.

YouTube: Modi joined YouTube way back in 2007, and has more than 1500 videos on his YouTube Channel and more than 15,000 subscribers now. He uploads videos of public rallies, functions and events that he has attended.

He is undoubtedly the most famous politician on social media.

Shashi Tharoor

One political figure in India, often referred to as the Twitter Minister, who through his early adoption of social media made it mainstream is Shashi Tharoor.

Facebook:  Shashi Tharoor does not have an official Facebook Page.

Twitter: He has more than 15 lakh followers, which makes him the most Influential person on twitter in India. His tweets are updates on current events and government decisions, opinions on different topics and incidents, and interviews. He is a frequent Tweeter, with around 4 to 5 tweets a day.

YouTube: He does not have an official YouTube Channel.

As is apparent, Shashi Tharoor has a large number of followers. However, as many people have a Facebook account but may not use Twitter, starting an official fan page on Facebook would allow him to connect with a different type of audience and increase the number of fans. An official YouTube Channel with videos promoting his interests and activities would be the icing on the cake.

Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj is one of the few female politicians in India who have established an online presence on social networking sites such as Twitter.

Facebook:  Though Sushma Swaraj does not have an official Facebook Page, she has more than 53,000 fans on her Facebook Community Page.

Twitter: Again, Sushma Swaraj is among the few female politicians on Twitter. She has more than 3 lakh followers but does not follow anyone, not even her peers. While she does interact with her followers, she posts less frequently than others, around 2-3 tweets every 2-3 days. She tweets about topics related to her professional life.

YouTube: Swaraj does not have her own YouTube Channel, but has a separate playlist of her selected speeches. There are 33 videos in the playlist, with a collective duration of 16+ hours!

One can surmise from the high level of followers on Twitter and the large number of fans on her unofficial Facebook page, that creating an official page on Facebook would increase her fan following.

Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir is also a politician who uses Twitter as his primary social platform to connect to his online audience.

Facebook: He does not have an official Facebook page.

Twitter: Abdullah’s twitter account has more than 1 lakh followers. Though the frequency of tweets is moderate, there is a high level of interaction. His tweets are both professional and personal, and create a rapport with his audience.

YouTube: He does not have an official YouTube channel, instead there's an auto-generated channel by YouTube listing 30 videos of his.

Starting an official Facebook will let him connect better with people. Creating an official YouTube channel can also have a significant impact on public perception.

Milind Deora

Milind deora, Minister of State, Communications & IT,  primarily uses Twitter to connect with followers.

Facebook: He joined Facebook in 2010, but has never posted an update or interacted with fans since then. The page has 1099 fans.

Twitter: Deora has more than 35,000 followers. He tweets frequently and interacts regularly with followers. He tweets about his profession and on current topics.

YouTube: He does not have an official YouTube Channel.

Even though Milind Deora is the Minister for IT, he is not as active and effective online as his peers. Simply joining a social media network is not enough. It is imperative to build a relationship with the audience. For instance, a better connection with fans on Facebook can be developed by posting regular updates and replying to comments by users. Furthermore, an official YouTube channel with videos of speeches, announcements, rallies, etc will help amplify and sustain your online presence.