2 weeks ago
That the Bharatiya Janata Party has been actively reaching out to young voters is no secret. Now, the BJP has started using Instagram strategically to win over first-time voters. It has employed hip-hop or rap and widely used Gen-Z vocabulary like “GOAT” and “OG” — slang terms commonly used by those in the 18-25 age bracket — to ask them to vote for the saffron party.
The message remains the same but is customised to the aspirations of this segment and delivered in a language it understands.
BJP’s ‘Vote for The GOAT’ post
The latest in BJP’s Instagram posts is one titled “Vote for the GOAT”. Here, GOAT — which is an abbreviation of “greatest of all time” — is a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In just 24 hours, the post garnered 88,000 likes. The video is based on a rap song with Gen-Z vocabulary. The message is the same — PM Modi is a workaholic, his vision is Viksit Bharat, and his aim is to make India a developed nation by 2047. However, the language is changed here for the post.
“Yo, Namaskar Bharat and Jai Hind OG” is how the song starts. OG is an abbreviation for “Original Gangster”, which is slang for someone authentic yet exceptional. Even during the recent Creators Award event, PM Modi was referred to as OG while he was called on stage.
“He be hustling 24/7 for 2047, yo” goes the rap song as youngsters dressed in casual attire chant “Vote for the GOAT, Modi ko jaayega apna first vote”. “Modi ki guarantee” becomes “Guarantee hai pakki, FYI” while capital flow and bullish investor sentiments become “Line me saare hai investors. Ready to fund, dene hai cheques”. The economic boom has been communicated to Gen Z as “Economy ko kiya hai lit”, and online transactions as “DIY”. “Lit” here is a slang term for “excellent”, and “DIY” is an abbreviation of “do it yourself”. Words like “swag” and “roast” are liberally used and the Prime Minister is called the “Boss”.
There has been no change in the messaging, but there is a stark difference in the communication strategy here.
Not the first, won’t be the last
Though this was the most radical outreach by the BJP trying to win over first-time voters just a day before phase 1 of the Lok Sabha elections, the party has made such attempts to connect with the young electorate earlier too.
Just a few days ago, the Prime Minister invited seven ace gamers of India to a room at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg — the official residence of the PM that was illuminated in neon lights echoing the vibe of the generation of people he was meeting.
Animesh Agarwal, Naman Mathur, Mithilesh Patankar, Payal Dhare, Tirth Mehta, Ganesh Gangadhar, and Anshu Bisht were among the select gamers who were invited to chat with the Prime Minister. Most of them are in their twenties but have scaled success in the world of gaming. For instance, Animesh who calls himself “thug” is the CEO & MD at 8BIT Creatives and co-owner of Monster Gaming. They may have achieved a lot early in life but remain just like other Gen-Z people. No wonder they walked into the PM’s residence wearing untucked shirts or hoodies.
Later, the BJP turned it into a post, where the rap song was subtly played in the background as the PM explained why his vision of 2047 matters more for them: “The one who is 20 years old today, will have a lifetime ahead for him in 2047.” This video garnered nearly 30,000 likes.
In another Instagram post, the BJP showed the Chenab rail bridge with a voiceover resembling cricket commentary. “This is OTT. As in, over-the-top shot. This is a huge shot that kisses the sky,” runs the cricket-inspired voiceover as the visuals focus on the massive and ambitious bridge that is one of the most crucial infrastructure projects under Modi 2.0.
In another such post, three animated characters resembling Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury, and MK Stalin are seen breaking India with quotes attributed to them that say they want caste census, denuclearisation of the country, and removal of Sanatan Dharma, respectively. Finally, it shows a car arriving and waiting to enter India seeing a mammoth ditch, which is when the fourth character resembling PM Modi arrives and makes a road that leads to “Viksit Bharat”.
Thought process behind strategy
Just ahead of the general elections, the BJP wanted to send a strong message to the 1.82 crore first-time voters that PM Modi — the party’s trump card— is not just about rallies and parliamentary debates but is as “cool” as they are. A 73-year-old who understands the aspirations of Gen Z is how the BJP wanted to portray him as through these posts.
BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who himself spearheaded a youth-centric t-shirt campaign in Uttarakhand recently, says “it is natural” for the BJP to exploit these mediums to be “ahead of the curve”.
“BJP considers every voter to be important, especially those in the bracket of 18 to 25, who are going to play a very important role. If you see, the Prime Minister himself is somebody who has been able to connect not just with the women and senior citizens but also with the millennial and Gen Z,” he said. Poonawalla also highlighted how the PM used terms like “grind” and “OP” during his recent interaction with the gamers.
In multiplayer games, especially online, OP means “overpowered”. In video game culture, “grinding” is a term that refers to repeating actions to achieve a desired result.
If BJP sources are to be believed, more such hyper-Gen Z-focused social media posts are on the way in the weeks to come. As they say, it is “game on” for BJP’s outreach to first-time voters.
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