TechnoRig

Arvind Kejriwal trending more than Narendra Modi:

An analysis of two sets of data— search volumes from Google Trends and proprietary data from social media analytics firm Simplify 360—show that Kejriwal has dominated the digital discourse since the first week of December, when results of assembly elections in Delhi and four other states were declared.

The data confirms what people have been observing anecdotally on social media for weeks—the conversation surrounding AAP's emergence as an alternative electoral front has pushed the buzz about Modi to the background, despite the well crafted strategy and considerable resources his supporters pump into the effort.

"The social media throne has clearly shifted. There was an air of inevitability about Modi, a sense that he was on his way and nothing could stop him now. And his supporters fed on that sense. That has been deflated. Suddenly there is another way of seeing this," said Santosh Desai, brand specialist and commentator.

New Ideas Needed

Admittedly, Kejriwal has dominated only for a little over a month and there still time for a correction ahead of elections. But because of the novelty factor, AAP and Kejriwal are able to stay in the news for every small development.

And as a small and new party preparing to take on India's established behemoths in general elections a few months from now, there is a great deal of interest in what they are up to. Its policy positions, prominent faces joining the party, its crowdsourced fund raising model, protests against its decisions, all generate heated discussion.

Whereas with Modi, his elevation as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and the series of high profile rallies he held subsequently received wall to wall coverage, and he has made his position known on most key issues. This makes it a challenge for the Modi camp to put out new content or events to reclaim his digital dominance.