DIGITAL VS DOOR-TO-DOOR: EVOLUTION OF BJP’S CAMPAIGN TECHNIQUES FROM ASSAM ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2016 TO 2021
https://doi.org/10.65725/JCMCE/2/2/013
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT, COMMERCE AND ECONOMICS (JCMCE)
ISSN: 3108-3501
Volume 2 Issue 2, APR-JUN 2026
Abstract:
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s rise in Assam between 2014 and 2021 represents one of the most significant political realignments in North-East India. In the 2016 Assam Legislative Assembly Election, BJP won 60 seats and ended 15 years of Congress rule through a campaign heavily reliant on ground mobilization: door-to-door contact, panna pramukh booth management, massive physical rallies, and identity-based slogans like “Jati-Mati-Bheti”. By 2021, the party not only retained power with 75 seats but did so under radically altered conditions – post-CAA protests, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, and increased competition from a united opposition. This period witnessed a visible evolution in BJP’s electioneering: from labor-intensive door-to-door outreach in 2016 to a hybrid model combining digital targeting, WhatsApp groups, virtual rallies, and data-driven micro-management in 2021. Despite the significance of this shift, systematic comparative studies on BJP’s campaign technique evolution in Assam remain limited. The transformation of political campaigning in India over the last decade has been significantly influenced by the rapid expansion of digital communication technologies, social media platforms, and data-driven voter outreach mechanisms. This study examines the evolution of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign techniques in Assam by comparing the Assembly Elections of 2016 and 2021. The findings reveal that the BJP’s 2016 campaign relied heavily on extensive grassroots outreach, strategic alliances, local leadership engagement, and the mobilization of voters through themes centered on Assamese identity and regional aspirations. Although social media was present, it functioned primarily as a supplementary communication channel. By contrast, the 2021 campaign demonstrated a significant expansion of digital tools, including virtual rallies, targeted social media messaging, WhatsApp-based booth-level coordination, and leader-centric online branding. Digital platforms were increasingly utilized not merely for information dissemination but also for voter engagement, narrative building, and real-time campaign management. The pandemic-induced restrictions on physical gatherings further reinforced the importance of digital outreach, leading to a more sophisticated and professionalized communication strategy. Nevertheless, the study finds that digital campaigning did not replace traditional methods; instead, it complemented and enhanced the BJP’s established door-to-door organizational network, creating a synergistic campaign model.The research concludes that the BJP’s electoral success in Assam between 2016 and 2021 can be partly attributed to its ability to adapt campaign techniques to changing technological and socio-political environments while retaining strong grassroots connections.
Authors: Santana Saikia, Dr. Niranjan Mohapatra
Keywords: BJP, Assam Assembly Election, Electioneering, Digital Campaign, Door-to-Door, Campaign Professionalization, Panna Pramukh, WhatsApp, Political Communication, 2016, 2021