The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the nationalist political group in power for 5 years and led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was reelected yesterday for a new five-year term in legislative elections. The BJP secured over 300 seats out of 542 available in the new Lok Sabha, the lower chamber of the federal Parliament.

Today, ahead of the final tally, Narendra Modi's BJP, the incumbent Prime Minister, has registered 63.6% of the votes in these legislative elections, far ahead of the Indian Socialist Party, or Samajwadi Party, in second place with 18.4% of ballots cast. Since 1947 and India's independence, only the Indian National Congress, an independence-era political party that was hugely popular post-liberation, had successfully secured a parliamentary majority twice consecutively. And Narendra Modi, leader of the BJP, is the perfect embodiment of this legacy. The sexagenarian has not lost a single election since 2001, when he was elected to lead the state of Gujarat.

Social media as a campaign engine

He made his satisfaction clear on Twitter tonight, using the platform to address his opponents as well, notably Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress. "Together, we grow. Together, we prosper. Together, we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins again!" A way of reaffirming his nationalism and patriotism, inherent to his political party, which is now victorious and holds a majority in the regulation and organization of the subcontinent. He also wished to reiterate his commitment to continue fighting caste discrimination, communalism, corruption, and nepotism within the country's governing institutions.

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to thank more than forty heads of state, including his Israeli and American counterparts Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.

With 47.4 million followers on Twitter, Modi has clearly grasped the reach and importance of social media, but more importantly, the concrete impact it can have on an election. He uses it effectively and never leaves his community out of the conversation. His election campaign was indeed largely conducted on these platforms, particularly when he traveled to remote areas to meet supporters, crafting his 280-character messages with precision.

Thibault Bourru