BJP IT Cell

Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell
Information Technology Cell overview
Formed2007 (2007)
TypeInformation Technology Cell
JurisdictionIndia
StatusActive
Employees5,000–6,000 approximately
National IT Cell Head responsible
  • Deepak Mhaskey, National Convener
State IT Cell Head responsible
  • All States BJP Conveners
Parent of the Information Technology Cell
Bharatiya Janata Party
Child agencies
  • All States Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell
  • All Union Territories Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell

The Bharatiya Janata Party Information Technology Cell (BJP IT Cell) is a specialized department of the Indian political party Bharatiya Janata Party, responsible for managing the party's digital strategy, voter analytics, and social media outreach. It coordinates online campaigns, promotes party policy narratives, and amplifies the communications of party leaders across various digital platforms. Since August 2026, the cell has been headed by Deepak Mhaskey

According to reporting by The Washington Post, the department operates an extensive digital network comprising around 150,000 campaign workers who distribute content across WhatsApp groups to mobilize supporters. The cell has also been subject to scrutiny and criticisms from political opponents, independent researchers, and media watchdogs regarding its methods, including allegations of spreading misinformation, contributing to social tensions, and promoting polarizing narratives targeting religious minorities.

History

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was among the early political organizations in India to integrate digital platforms and social media into voter mobilization, alongside digital units operated by rival parties such as the Indian National Congress. The official BJP IT Cell was established in 2007 by Prodyut Bora.

Earlier digital efforts were utilized during the 2004 Indian general election, where the party deployed automated telecommunication outreach alongside the India Shining campaign. For the 2009 Indian general election, BJP leader L. K. Advani introduced a personal portal with voter forums while regional IT cells were expanded.

The Twitter (now X) profile for Narendra Modi was established in 2009 during his tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat. Arvind Gupta was appointed convenor of the IT Cell in 2010, and was succeeded by Amit Malviya in 2015.

In August 2026, Amit Malviya was succeeded by Deepak Mhaskey.

The party's digital campaigning played a prominent role during the 2014 Indian general election. Between late 2012 and 2014, the IT Cell executed structured social media outreach, data analytics monitoring, and real-time response management to support the national campaign.

Organizational structure and campaign methods

An investigative report by digital media outlet Newslaundry detailed the hierarchical structure of the state-level IT Cell operation in Uttar Pradesh:

The state IT cell has 25 members in the core team with Rai as its head. Each regional centre had 20 members and a team of 15 handled IT at each of the 92 districts. Seven member teams worked at the block levels. At the regional, district and Assembly level, BJP had approximately 5,000 workers. A separate team of 20 professionals – including technicians, designers, and cartoonists – created the desired content for the party.

Regarding campaign messaging goals, JPS Rathore of the UP BJP IT Cell stated:

"Our aim was to capture the mind of the voter. To message them night and day. Whenever they look, they should see us, hear our message."

The department has also managed dedicated digital broadcasting platforms, including NaMo TV during electoral campaigns.

Controversies and criticism

The operations of the BJP IT Cell have been a frequent subject of debate among investigative journalists, parliamentary representatives, and platform moderators.

Journalist Swati Chaturvedi reported that coordinated networks of online supporters take direction from digital campaign cells to counter political opponents and public figures on social media platforms. In November 2015, following public remarks by actor Aamir Khan regarding social intolerance, online mobilization led to commercial pressure on corporate sponsors associated with the actor.

In 2017, law enforcement authorities in West Bengal detained a regional IT cell secretary in connection with the distribution of edited video content on Facebook. Parliamentary discussions, including statements by Derek O'Brien in the Rajya Sabha, have raised questions regarding online harassment and accountability on social media platforms.

In December 2020, Twitter applied a "manipulated media" label to a post shared by national convener Amit Malviya during the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest, following platform policy reviews on edited video content.

Investigations by media outlets have also documented affiliated voluntary digital groups, such as the "Hindu Ecosystem" network organized by political figures, which coordinate online campaigns focusing on cultural and political topics.

References

  1. ↑ "BJP turns focus on UP IT cell, lays out strategy to boost social media presence for polls". ThePrint. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "BJP's IT cell works behind doors for its candidates who are on the front". The Indian Express. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "BJP Departments". Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "I am a troll: Inside the secret world of the BJP's digital army- Review". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Bigger profile comes with a formidable challenge for Deepak Mhaskey - The Hindu". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  6. ↑ "Inside the vast digital campaign by Hindu nationalists to inflame India". Washington Post. 27 September 2023.
  7. ↑ Rajvanshi, Astha. "How Modi's Supporters Spread Disinformation on Social Media". TIME. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  8. ↑ "Three cases booked for circulation of false information related to mob lynching". The Hindu. 1 May 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "'Invisible in our own country': Being Muslim in Modi's India". BBC News. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  10. 1 2 Chadha, K.; Guha, P. (30 August 2016). "The Bharatiya Janata Party's online campaign and citizen involvement in India's 2014 election". International Journal of Communication. 10: 18.
  11. ↑ Campbell-Smith, Ualan, and Samantha Bradshaw. "Global cyber troops country profile: India." Project on Computational Propaganda (2019).
  12. ↑ "'It's Like Frankenstein's Monster': The Father Of BJP's IT Cell Says Team Modi Started The Rot". HuffPost. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  13. ↑ "Arvind Gupta appointed as convenor of BJP's IT cell". Governance Now. 12 July 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  14. ↑ Wilson, Andrew, ed. (2023), "China and India", Political Technology: The Globalisation of Political Manipulation, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 365–402, ISBN 978-1-009-35533-9, retrieved 18 May 2025
  15. ↑ "Deepak Mhaskey: Chemistry Professor Turned Data Strategist Now Leading BJP's National Social Media Operation". openthemagazine.com. Retrieved 9 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "How India's BJP used data analytics to swing voters". www.prweek.com. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "'Big data is like teenage sex': BJP's Arvind Gupta | Advertising". Campaign India. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  18. ↑ Bhardwaj, Amit (17 March 2017). "How BJP's IT Cell Waged War And Won In UP: With enormous stores of data and thousands of WhatsApp groups, the BJP cell waged a smartphone war in UP". Newslaundry.
  19. ↑ "BJP owns up NaMo TV, Delhi poll officer says content is not 'advertisement'". The Indian Express. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  20. 1 2 "'I Am a Troll' by Swati Chaturvedi". Financial Times. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  21. ↑ Sugden, Joanna (24 November 2015). "The Intolerant Response to Aamir Khan's Intolerance Comments". WSJ Blogs. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  22. ↑ Iyengar, Rishi. "Bollywood Star Aamir Khan Faces Religious Backlash". Time. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Aamir Khan took on religious intolerance, and Snapdeal got caught in the crossfire". Quartz. 25 November 2015. Archived from the original on 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Ahmed, Imran; Ahmed, Zahid Shahab; Brasted, Howard; Akbarzadeh, Shahram, eds. (2022). Religion, extremism and violence in South Asia. Politics of South Asia. Singapore: Springer Singapore Pte. Limited. ISBN 978-981-16-6846-3.
  25. ↑ "For the First Time in India, Twitter Flags BJP IT Cell's 'Manipulated Media'". The Wire. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  26. ↑ Thakur, Shambhavi; S, Meghnad (15 February 2021). ""Hate factory: Inside Kapil Mishra's 'Hindu Ecosystem'"". Newslaundry. Retrieved 29 February 2024.

Further reading