The Digital Election: How Technology Redefined India’s 2024 General Election – Ankita Rathi

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*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory December 2024 Report.

Technology, Tactics, and a Turning Point

The world’s most populous country went to polls from April 19 to June 1 in seven phases, with more than 968.8 million registered voters. This election brought significant changes in the country’s political landscape, with Narendra Modi, leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), elected Prime Minister consecutively for the third time. Surprisingly, this year, the BJP won 240 seats, pushing it to create a formal coalition arrangement with its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With all its allies, the party managed to secure a majority of 293 seats in the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament. The opposition, the INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress (Congress), won 232 seats. This outcome is a huge comeback for the opposition and Congress Party leader, Rahul Gandhi. 

According to a post-election survey conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), 57% of those who voted for the opposition cited rising prices and unemployment as their choice. This electoral cycle was also distinguished by an unparalleled integration of technology, marking a turning point from the 2019 Lok Sabha election being referred to as a “WhatsApp Election” to the 2024 elections, being termed as India’s first “Social Media Election.” Political parties easily spent around US$50 million on AI-generated content to successfully facilitate targeted communication with their constituents to bolster their messaging. 

This chapter explores the technological advancements achieved under the BJP’s leadership, offering insights into how these developments have influenced the nation’s political and digital landscape. It also takes readers deeper into the dynamics of the 2024 Indian General elections, an event marked by significant political shifts and the transformative role of technology in influencing voter engagement and outreach.

BJP’s Vision for India’s Tech Future

BJP has always aimed to position India as a global leader in technological innovation. Their election manifesto outlines an ambitious vision for leveraging technology across diverse sectors, promising advanced research and development (R&D) to stay at the forefront of emerging technologies. They plan to operationalize the “Anusandhan National Research Foundation,” a body established to fund and coordinate national research activities in various fields. The party wants to create an ecosystem that supports cutting-edge research and innovation by setting up advanced research facilities, hubs, and labs. The party aims to develop a comprehensive ecosystem under the IndiaAI Mission, plans to implement the National Quantum Mission, and confirms the creation of a national geospatial data registry and exchange. The manifesto also emphasizes advancing telecom through affordable 5G and innovative 6G technologies. The party also prioritized tackling corruption, increasing sports and education and simplifying the tax system through technology (with an assisted filing system). Their manifesto, “Modi ki Guarantee 2024” reflects the party’s intent to drive innovation, boost economic growth, and position India as a global tech leader.

The Vanguard of India’s Tech Strategy in Modi 3.0

The then-Ministry of Information Technology was the first cabinet ministry that focused on promoting the Internet. It was created by the NDA government led by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999. Later on, in 2016, under the leadership of the Modi Government, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was elevated to a separate cabinet ministry, now known as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Its role in regulating the Internet and its services has gained more importance with the increasing Internet penetration in India. The Ministry has introduced various reforms over the previous years, but none as transformative as Digital India, under the leadership of the Modi government. Numerous agencies under the Ministry are pushing India’s AI infrastructure forward directly or indirectly. These agencies also ensure that there are plenty of resources to create a healthy technological ecosystem for data-related innovation. Organizations such as the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), and National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), etc. are some of MeitY’s sub-divisions that are consolidating the efforts made by all stakeholders to drive change in advancing India’s technological landscape and India’s AI stack.  

The Backbone of India’s Digital Inclusion

Digital India was conceptualized as an umbrella program to consolidate disparate efforts around connectivity, skilling and digital governance. PM Modi launched the program on July 1, 2015, with a vision to provide digital infrastructure as a source of utility to every citizen, governance, and services on demand, as well as to connect rural areas with high-speed Internet networks and improve digital literacy. Some of the key initiatives under this program are GeM, DigiLocker, Unified Payment Interface (UPI), Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge sharing (DIKSHA), Aadhaar, Co-Win, MyGov, BharatNet, Smart Cities, Universal Access to Mobile. This collective initiative has successfully made significant developments in increasing the accessibility of government services and promoting digital literacy among the general public. Still, a lot of work needs to be done to ensure that the benefits of digitization reach every corner of the country. India can transform into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy with continued focus and investment in this program. 

Under this program, nine pillars are identified to support the vision areas and their implementation in a time-bound manner such as Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance––Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti – Electronic Delivery of Services,  Information for All,  Electronics Manufacturing ––– Target NET ZERO imports, IT for Jobs, and Early Harvest Programmes.

The Dual Role of Digital Infrastructure

The extensive digital ecosystem established through initiatives like Digital India has also influenced electoral dynamics. As the election season began, the total spending on digital communication rose to Rs. 288 Crore (over US$ 33.3 million), approximately 10 times more than the 2019 national elections. 

BJP outspent on Google ads and Facebook, with over 75% of urban respondents seeing political messaging online, of which approximately 80% acknowledged the visibility of BJP content. Several YouTube shows portrayed themselves as factual news sources, but instead, they spread misinformation to increase support for the  BJP. Online content creators gave parties an avenue to connect with the youth electorate. These interviews were often scripted and lacked critical questioning. 

As in many other countries, Artificial Intelligence (AI) also played an increasingly significant role during election campaigning. The party used AI to reach out to its voters outside the traditional strongholds in Hindi-speaking regions; for example, the BJP government used an AI translation tool, Bhashini, during rallies to engage the southern India voter base. Over 50 million AI-generated calls were made before the elections began, mimicking politicians’ voices. Originally designed for governance and inclusion, the digital infrastructure has become a powerful medium for shaping political narratives.

Synthetic Strategies

The emergence of AI in the Indian political space has changed how campaigns are run. All political parties use it without any oversight or transparency in various ways. 

  • Content Creation and Voice Cloning: Various political parties created their deepfake content to attract more attention. South India, known as a tech-savvy and one of the most literate regions of India, saw politicians using AI to digitally revive deceased prominent political figures while endorsing their current party candidate. To create a level playing field for themselves, many parties cloned their leaders by using generative AI. E.g. a deepfake video of the late M. Karunanidhi (Dravida Munetra Kazhagam party) was created in which he was scolding the national government under the leadership of Modi for ‘robbing the state’ of its due share of funds. The Communist Party of India (another Indian political party) also shared a deepfake video of one of their previous leaders Comrade Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee where he is asking the citizens to save the country from the current political situation. The motive behind this video was to encourage the voters to cast their vote for the party. Similarly, an employee of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), created voice clones of their party leader, Delhi Chief Minister, Mr Arvind Kejriwal, who was in jail at that time. These voice clones were blaming the BJP for the CM’s arrest but didn’t go viral as they were far from sounding realistic.
  • Online trolling: Political parties openly used this tool on social media for adversarial purposes, overtly targeting their rivals. The Congress party posted a video clip on their Instagram page. His voice was cloned with reworked lyrics attacking Modi’s good relations with Indian business tycoons. In response, the BJP shared its video featuring Modi campaigning in various Indian cities with clips of his supporters. A similar incident took place in May when X users posted a dancing video of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee. These users were threatened with legal action by the Kolkata Police after orders from the CM. Modi mocked CM’s strong reaction and even posted a video of an AI version of himself dancing on stage. Such memes were also shared over various WhatsApp groups to reach a wider audience. 
  • Misinformation and Deepfakes: The use of AI was not just limited to creating memes; it also expanded to spreading misinformation during the elections. For instance, real videos of Bollywood actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan were posted by the Congress party, with their voices cloned by AI criticising Modi for not keeping his campaign promises and failing to address the various important economic issues of the nation during his two previous terms as the prime minister. Deepfake videos of famous news anchors were posted online sharing misleading information about AAP’s West Delhi candidate being ahead in the opinion polls. The arms race between deepfakes and fact-checkers fighting on all fronts is on in India. The founder of Alt News, one of India’s top-notch independent fact-checking sites, indicated that Indians are yet to experience the full potential of deepfake technology. He believes someday such videos will not only show politicians saying things they did not say but also doing things that they did not do. These instances are just a glimpse of how technology is reshaping the very concept of democratic participation.

The Outlook

There is a lot of speculation about how this new coalition is poised to influence India’s digital governance trajectory significantly. Some say that is less likely to affect the country’s approach to digital sovereignty as the present alliance remains aligned on advancing national tech policies. However, with the absence of an absolute majority, the BJP may face complexities that may impact implementation speed and consistency. As opposed to their previous terms, this time the party could require immense collaboration and negotiations among various political figures. But at the same time, having a fragmented parliament might prove to foster more rigorous scrutiny of digital policies, leading to balanced policy-making. 

India still has a long way to go in navigating its digital future, even with these chances for a more inclusive approach. Many important issues still need to be addressed specifically bridging the current digital divide, ensuring algorithmic accountability in generative AI models, and balancing the fundamental right to privacy with economic imperative. Moreover, now the intersection of politics and technology is noticeable everywhere, political parties are leveraging AI in new ways and sharing AI-enhanced content on their official accounts. This raises the question of content authenticity and also indicates the need for platforms to have compulsory disclosure of AI content, specifically for political purposes. India’s digital policy landscape stands at a pivotal juncture. The fragmented parliament, coupled with the growing role of AI in public and political communication, presents both challenges and opportunities. By fostering collaboration, ensuring transparency, and addressing critical issues, India can position itself as a global leader in digital governance and set an example for inclusive e-governance. Lastly, the recently released draft of the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules as well as the report on AI governance guidelines development presents a trustworthy and accountable AI ecosystem.

Written by Ankita Rathi (Edited by Anahida Bhardwaj)

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