How Modi masters election warfare: Sun Tzu in the Digital Age

Narendra Modi is a skilled political strategist, known for his successful election campaigns. Narendra Modi knows how to win elections. Narendra Modi draws inspiration from Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, whose most famous teaching is: “All warfare is based on deception.” Sun Tzu’s Lesson No. 1: Convert an election campaign into warfare. Sun Tzu’s Lesson No. 2: All warfare is based on deception. Narendra Modi has synthesized Sun Tzu’s teachings with these four realities: we live in the age of social media; this is the age of social media, for better or worse; the dominance of social media defines our era; social media runs the world these days.

Five hundred thirty-five million Indians are on WhatsApp, the largest user base in the world. That means WhatsApp is a primary way for Indians to communicate. Modi’s favorite weapon of war is WhatsApp. Modi has 2 million so-called volunteers. Ankur Rana, one of the volunteers, has 5,000 accounts, 400 WhatsApp groups with 300 members each. Ankur Rana targets 12,000 Hindu voters a day. One of the WhatsApp messages he disseminates is: “Congress had already converted India into an Islamic country; they just never officially announced it.”

Recall the “NaMo” app, short for Narendra Modi app, developed to facilitate direct communication between Narendra Modi and the public, bypassing traditional media channels. Users received real-time updates on Modi’s activities, speeches, and government initiatives. Modi could share his thoughts, speeches, and updates directly with the public, ensuring his message was unfiltered and reaching a broad audience. “NaMo” played a significant role in Modi’s previous campaign strategies. In 2024, Modi has been telling voters they must choose carefully between “Vote Jihad”—a term repeatedly used by the ruling BJP to describe votes for Muslims—and “Ram Rajya,” which translates to “governance under Ram.” Here’s the scale of disenfranchisement in Indian democracy, 200 million Indian Muslims are labeled as “Jihadis.”

Modi’s use of social media to spread disinformation during the elections has no parallel. Consequence: In 2019, Hate Crime Watch reported that “around 91% of the hate crimes recorded in the last decade, took place after PM Modi came to power.” Indian Muslims, who make up 15% of the population, have only 5% representation in the Lok Sabha. Similarly, Indian Christians, comprising 3% of the population, have just 1% representation in the Lok Sabha. Modi knows how to win-Sun Tzu and Social Media. India has 970 million voters. India has 750 million active internet users; WhatsApp 535 million, 362 million on Instagram and 314 million on Facebook.

The name of the game is disinformation; disinformation narratives, disinformation campaign, disinformation about political rivals, AI-generated, manipulated content and images Modi knows how to win, skillfully blending the military strategies of Sun Tzu with the power of social media. India, with its 970 million voters and 750 million active internet users, provides a vast landscape for digital influence. WhatsApp boasts 535 million users, Instagram 362 million, and Facebook 314 million.

In Modi’s digital battleground, the name of the game is disinformation. They are strategically deployed to sway public opinion and undermine political rivals. AI-generated and manipulated content, including images and videos, are used to create convincing falsehoods that spread rapidly across these platforms.

This sophisticated use of technology for disinformation shapes electoral outcomes. According to Civil Watch International, Facebook had approved adverts containing known slurs towards Muslims such as “let’s burn this vermin” and “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned.” To his credit, Modi has reshaped the electoral battlefield. To his credit, Modi has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to adapt ancient strategies to contemporary tools. To his credit, he has leveraged Sun Tzu’s timeless principles of warfare and harnessed the power of social media. For India, the pivotal question now is: will this blend of ancient wisdom and modern technology lead India to a more inclusive governance? For India, the question now is: will Modi deepen divisions within the world’s largest democracy? This time around, Modi is still lethal just at a lower dose.