New Delhi, Aug 23 : It is now clear that the opposition parties have started preparations for the 2027-29 election period, which includes elections in about seven states and, ultimately, the Lok Sabha polls. The stakes are very high, and the fight is crucial for both the Opposition and the ruling coalition.

For the Opposition, it is about survival and cutting the ruling dispensation to size. For the coalition in power, it is about maintaining continuity and demonstrating that its strategy has been right. The fight has begun, and this time the rules have changed. It is no longer just about rallies, corner meetings, distributing pamphlets, writing slogans on walls or erecting banners.

The election game has moved to a different level. It is now more about building narratives and creating a wave on social media. In fact, the election fight has moved from street campaigning to something resembling a gaming level.

With social media reach widening by the day, political parties are refocusing their electoral strategies. India has over 50 crore active social media users, while newer generations have grown up with mobile phones with an Internet connection. Gen Z's reach through platforms such as Instagram, Meta and X is huge.

It is this generation -- those born roughly between 1997 and 2012 -- that is now under the lens of political parties and their strategists. The entire political spectrum, the ruling side as well as the Opposition, is focusing on Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

The competition has begun not just between the Opposition and the ruling side; it has also erupted within the Opposition camp. For some time now, the opposition parties, even while trying to present a united face, have been trying to outwit each other and emerge as the lead face to take on the BJP-led government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The fight within has become interesting, with Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party and others trying to race ahead with strategies to lure younger generations. A big section of older generations has consistently voted for the Modi-led Centre and the BJP in a majority of states. With a large section of this generation presumed to be leaning towards one side, the focus has shifted to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who have not directly experienced the UPA-era governments or the AAP government in Delhi.

Most have only heard stories about the past regimes and have witnessed the BJP in power for the past 12 years. Hence, the centre of attention is the younger generation. The Opposition is especially focused on Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the hope of creating a sphere of influence that might impress youngsters enough to press the EVM button in its favour.

It is this EVM button press which has become the fulcrum of the entire exercise that political parties are going through now. Each one has strong media teams and is hiring influencers to generate and spread a particular narrative.

The activism of Rahul Gandhi, the sudden emergence of the AAP-backed CJP, and the Congress, SP, BJP and others overhauling their social media departments are indicators of the extent to which parties are prepared to go to create the right image across various platforms. The aim is to generate storms on social media and remain in the public view.

This is now fully visible across social media handles, with parties trying everything under the sun to garner maximum views. The recently held CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is perhaps the finest example of this strategy. Termed a sidekick of Arvind Kejriwalâ??s AAP, the Cockroach Janata Party activists and supporters did everything -- from speeches to abuses, from dances to obscenity, and even violence against security forces. The aim was to storm the media space and create a sensation, which they did successfully.

However, it did not end with the protest. CJP activists are now creating social media reels by forcibly entering schools and trying to influence young minds. Under its â??School Thik Karoâ?? campaign, CJP workers have been barging into classrooms in government schools in Maharashtra and Rajasthan to â??exposeâ?? poor infrastructure and administrative lapses. However, they faced public wrath in a Rajasthan village, where the team was first asked not to bother the villagers. When the CJP team still tried to barge into a school, the villagers threw them out.

Questions are now being asked about the lack of CJP activism in non-BJP-ruled states. The party leaders are also being cornered over their lack of interest in the Jharkhand student protest movement. The CJP is increasingly being portrayed as biased and playing lop-sided politics.

If the CJP is trying every means to stay in social media views, the Congress party is not staying behind. In what appears to be a direct competition for attention, Rahul Gandhi has been playing on the July 20 student protest violence case.

On August 21, Gandhi held a six-hour sit-in protest outside a Delhi police station to register an FIR in the case of a 19-year-old student protester who allegedly suffered pellet-gun injuries during the July 20 march to Parliament. The protest quickly went viral on news television and social media. For much of Friday, Gandhi occupied a substantial share of the viewing space.

It is this viewing space for which strategies are being drawn and redrawn by political parties and their supporting outlets.

Recent reports said that the social media reach of Union ministers came up for discussion at a Cabinet meeting and ministers were told to step up efforts to ensure their messages reach a wider audience, particularly the youth.

With every party reviewing and refocusing its social media activities, the competition is only going to get more interesting. But what needs to be watched is the kind of plot that is set and the narrative that follows.

The country is definitely going to witness an intense fight, especially among opposition parties, to build a narrative that can impress Gen Z. The target is the 2027 elections and the big 2029 battle. And today's Gen Z could have a big say in deciding that fight.

(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)

/IANS