YouTubers and Influencers Dominate India’s Political Arena as Traditional Media Takes a Backseat

India’s political sphere is experiencing a dramatic transformation, with YouTubers and social media influencers surging ahead of traditional news media as the preferred channels for politicians to reach voters.

This shift, prominently visible during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, underscores a growing demand for unfiltered, relatable voices amid declining trust in mainstream journalism. With India’s digital population booming—over 850 million internet users, per a 2025 IAMAI report—politicians are leveraging these platforms to bypass editorial constraints, leaving legacy media struggling to retain its once-dominant role in political discourse.

The ascendancy of influencers is fueled by their unparalleled reach among India’s youth, who form a significant voting bloc. A Scroll.in study from January 2025 revealed that interviews with politicians on YouTube channels garnered nearly ten times the viewership of similar segments on traditional news outlets. For instance, Samdish Bhatia’s channel, with 2 million subscribers, averages 1.7 million views per interview, dwarfing the reach of mainstream TV slots. High-profile examples include External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s 6.6 million-view interview with Ranveer Allahbadia (BeerBiceps) and Nitin Gadkari’s 2.2 million-view chat with Raj Shamani—numbers that dwarf TV ratings like NDTV’s primetime average of 300,000 viewers. This reflects a clear preference for long-form, authentic content over the soundbite-driven TV format.

Politicians across party lines are tapping into this trend, favoring influencers over traditional journalists. In 2023, Union Ministers like Smriti Irani and Piyush Goyal began appearing on YouTube shows, a practice that intensified during the 2024 elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been particularly proactive, hosting “influencer meets” since 2023 to promote policies, as noted by The Hindu. Meanwhile, opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi have opted for casual chats with creators like Kamiya Jani of Curly Tales, signaling a bipartisan shift. A 2025 study from the University of Michigan found that ruling alliance politicians dominate these platforms, with 70% of influencer interviews featuring BJP affiliates, highlighting a strategic focus on digital outreach.

Traditional media’s decline stems from its perceived bias and rigid structure. Once the backbone of political communication, channels like Aaj Tak and India Today have seen viewership drop—TRP ratings for news channels fell 15% between 2023 and 2025, per BARC India. Critics argue that mainstream outlets, often dubbed “godi media” (lapdog media) by detractors, have lost credibility due to alleged alignment with the government. Conversely, YouTubers like Dhruv Rathee, whose video “Is India Becoming a Dictatorship?” amassed 25 million views, offer unscripted critiques that resonate with a disillusioned public. The 2024 elections saw Rathee’s 476 million total views outstrip entire news networks, cementing his influence.

This shift is enabled by India’s digital boom, sparked by Reliance Jio’s affordable data plans since 2016, pushing internet penetration from 15% to 48% by 2023, per World Bank data. With 476 million YouTube users—India’s largest audience globally, according to Statista—politicians can reach voters directly, sidestepping editorial filters. However, this comes with challenges: influencers often lack journalistic rigor, and misinformation spreads unchecked. The 2025 Scroll.in report noted that softball interviews dominate, with creators rarely grilling politicians, raising ethical concerns about blurred lines between journalism and promotion.

Despite these risks, the trend is undeniable. The BJP’s IT cell, paired with influencers, outmaneuvered the opposition’s late digital push in 2024, per The Economist. Sales of political merchandise via influencer promotions also spiked 20% during the election, per industry estimates. Traditional media, scrambling to adapt with YouTube channels of its own, remains a secondary choice as politicians prioritize the raw, viral power of influencers in India’s evolving political arena.

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