Rajeev Paripoornam, de Himalayas
Micro-Targeting the Indian Voter: From "Panna Pramukh" to the Individual Consumer
If 2014 counted as India’s Facebook election and 2019 its WhatsApp one, then 2024 feels like the moment the voter became something closer to a consumer. A thorough study by the Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, which appeared in The Hindu in August 2025, makes clear how the battlefield has moved from dusty rallies to the small screens in people’s hands. Digital advertising has turned into an absolute necessity for shaping voter behaviour. The figures reveal more than a mere spending gap. They signal the arrival of a new political era, where capital and data have come to rival — and in places nearly eclipse — traditional door-to-door efforts. One sees a sharp strategic divide rooted in the deep financial differences between the parties. The BJP mounted an industrial-scale, micro-targeted saturation drive; the Congress, more limited, relied on a focused, narrative-driven approach. This change builds directly on India’s longstanding grassroots machinery. The panna ...
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