BJP boosts Congress visibility, Kejriwal 2nd most discussed leader after Modi in Election 2024

 15th April 2024    PR Insight 
 Paarul Chand

As the 'India 2024 General Elections' polling kicks off this week (19th April 2024), PRmoment India along with Impact Research & Measurement Pvt. Ltd. (IRMPL) looks at what political parties and leaders are in the run-up to the hustings. With the rider that this analysis is based on Delhi newspaper headlines.

Here are the top party mentions in the headlines of Delhi newspapers. 

Durgesh Garg (VP – Operations) at Impact Research & Measurement Pvt. Ltd. (IRMPL) stated, "In the first week of April, the headlines of Delhi newspapers were dominated by the intense exchange between the Congress and BJP. Both parties commanded almost equal attention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of Congress for purportedly jeopardizing national interests and Congress's counterattacks, as well as the unveiling of its manifesto, were the key highlights. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal secured the second-highest headline coverage in Delhi papers, immediately following PM Modi, owing to his arrest."

As you can see BJP's attacks on the Congress manifesto and the Katchatheevu fracas pushed Congress to the top headline spot ahead of BJP, in the third spot is AAP riding on the arrest of its head, Arvind Kejriwal.

The following are the key highlights of the rankings above:

• PM Modi criticized Congress for allegedly giving away Katchatheevu questioning Congress's commitment to protecting national interests.
• BJP and Congress engaged in a heated exchange over various issues including national security, electoral bonds, and manifesto promises ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
• Several leaders switched parties, with Gourav Vallabh and the high-profile Olympian boxer Vijender Singh quitting Congress to join BJP. At the same time, the well-known stormy petrel Sanjay Nirupam faced expulsion from the Congress.
• Congress released its manifesto promising major reforms but naturally faced criticism from the BJP, which tried to play the minority appeasement card against the Congress.

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Most Talked about Indian Politician Ahead of the Polls 

No surprises as to the top spot. Narendra Modi led the top politicians list with a huge margin followed by Kejriwal and Rajnath Singh. Interestingly, Defense Minister, Rajnath Singh was almost at par with Arvind Kejriwal and a little ahead of Rahul Gandhi as the most talked about politician due to his remarks on crossing the border to handle terror. 

It's also interesting to note that AAP leader Atishi ( and the only woman leader in the top 5) rounds off the top 5 most talked about politicians due to her support for Kejriwal. That makes it two AAP leaders in the top 5, with Modi, Rajnath Singh and Rahul Gandhi making up the rest.

AAP hits the headlines 

AAP emerges as the third most talked about party, although quite a bit behind the BJP and Congress. The leading issue was of course the aftermath of the Arvind Kejriwal arrest and the ensuing protests against his arrest by AAP.

Key Highlights: AAP in the headlines 

• AAP's Sanjay Singh, recently granted bail, declared it a triumph of truth while asserting the party's dedication to electoral struggles.
• AAP planned a collective fast at Jantar Mantar in support of Kejriwal, whose arrest sparked controversy.
• BJP accused AAP MP of violating bail conditions.
• Amid internal conflicts and accusations, AAP announced nationwide protests against Kejriwal's arrest, maintaining its relevance amidst mounting challenges.

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How the data was analysed 

This analysis is based on headlines that appeared in the Delhi edition of Key English newspapers from 1^st Apr to 7^th Apr 2024. Initially, 15,000 headlines were processed through a deep learning model to extract headlines focusing on Indian politics. Subsequently, the outcomes were filtered through a second deep-learning model to identify the politicians and political parties referenced within these headlines. 

The resultant data was then utilised to create this report. 

The research was led by Vikrant Tripathi (Manager – Research), Sumayya Firasat (Manager – Research) and Durgesh Garg (VP – Operations) at Impact Research & Measurement Pvt. Ltd. (IRMPL).