PM Narendra Modi’s Instagram engagement jumps 290%, while Rahul Gandhi records a 180% surge after July 20 protests.
With a fierce battle between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi playing out inside and outside Parliament for the past several months, another contest is unfolding on social media, where the two leaders are taking each other head-on. However, data suggests that both Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have seen a sharp increase in the reach of their content on Instagram. Prime Minister Modi, who enjoys massive support on social media, particularly on X and Facebook, recently also made a video appeal to youths on Instagram, addressing students following the march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament on July 20. Modi made a video on July 23 addressing the concerns of students. And the video got over 21 million likes, 1.9 million comments, 1.8 million reposts and 7.8 million shares. On July 24, another video from Modi got 16.7 million likes, 1.5 million comments and 1 million reposts. His video was also shared by over 2.8 million people. The Prime Minister has 106 million followers on Instagram and remains one of the most followed world leader on any social media platforms globally. However, according to the Data Beings, a social listening and data analytics firm that tracks digital media publishers and consumer brands, there have been significant changes in political engagement on social media after July 20, since the CJP led a ‘Sansad Chalo’ march in New Delhi which ended in clashes with police. The Prime Minister account witnessed a 289.9 per cent surge in average Instagram engagement per post after the Gen-Z-led protest, rising from 1.19 million to 4.63 million, according to an analysis by Data Beings. If we talk about the X handle of the Prime Minister, Modi has 107 million followers. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi’s social media presence has also seen a significant surge since the NEET and students protests, with a sharp rise in both reach and engagement. Despite having only 28.5.million followers on X, the reach of Rahul Gandhi’s posts have increased tremendously. His videos have clocked 2.2 billion views, up 40 per cent from the corresponding period earlier, while Instagram alone recorded nearly 800 million views. Total likes have crossed 240 million, marking an increase of more than 100 per cent, the party sources claimed. The growth is also reflected in his follower base, which has increased by over 6 million, led largely by Instagram. Even the Data Beings report stated that Rahul Gandhi’s account on Instagram also witnessed a dramatic increase. Average engagement rose from 152K to 426K, up 180.7 per cent or nearly 2.8 times the pre-20 July level. The report further stated that the accounts of PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Congress and BJP — recorded higher average engagement per post after the CJP protest. According to the data, party accounts registered comparatively modest growth. Congress’ reach grew from 50K to 72K (+43.4 per cent) and BJP’s went from 25K to 34K (+37.1 per cent). PM Modi gained around 1 million Instagram followers overnight after posting a selfie video last month addressing concerns over the NEET paper leak. After the protest, when the Prime Minister had met with his Ministers and MPs, he had urged them to connect with youths on the social media platforms and also appealed them to share the work of the government. However, what was more surprising was the shift of Modi and Rahul Gandhi to Instagram, holding direct conversations with students. Modi has posted reels even around midnight, while Rahul Gandhi chose his conversation through ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions and student interactions on the platform. The formats chosen by both aligned with how GenZ consumes content. Their content is short, visual, and interactive, making political communication feel less like a broadcast and more like a conversation. The dramatic shift to Instagram was witnessed after alleged police excesses against students during the July 20 Sansad Chalo march. Students who were making reels instantly found content from the Prime Minister and the Congress leader, creating greater buzz and engagement on the platform.
