GV Face: Social Media and the Meteoric Rise of India's Aam Aadmi Party
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP ) – or Common Man's Party – led by anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal, is challenging India's mainstream parties.
The AAP won big in the recent Delhi Assembly poll and has partnered with the Congress party to form a government in Delhi with Kejriwal as its chief minister.
STOI: #AAP’s victory is symbolic of a larger social churn. It’s a sign Indians are demanding accountability today http://t.co/SEdaemc9Hn
— Times of India (@timesofindia) December 15, 2013
Two parties dominate India’s politics: the Congress, which has ruled with its coalition partners for two terms and relies on rural voters; and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu nationalist group that last ruled the nation in 2004. Will AAP disrupt India's long-standing two-party politics in the upcoming May elections?
This Friday I discuss the role of social media in AAP's meteoric rise with GV authors Chirag Sutar and Manasi Gopalakrishnan.
Chirag (@sutarcv) is originally from India but now lives in the Netherlands where he completed his Masters in Media Studies in Erasmus University, Rotterdam. He worked as a media journalist in India for three years.
Manasi Gopalakrishnan is a freelance journalist working with Germany's international broadcaster, the DW in Bonn, Germany. She writes and edits the blog www.womentalkonline.com and also works for DW's Hindi service.