Formative Essay – Psychology of Political Communication

Topic – Select a contemporary political problem (after 2017) in which you can identify
political communication. Compare and contrast how citizens’ emotions influenced their
reactions to messages. You cannot select COVID-19 as an example.

In February 2019, a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir, India left 40+ army personnel dead –
the deadliest terror strike on army personnel in India in 30 years. In retaliation, the Indian
Air Force bombed strategic locations within Pakistan, who were accused of orchestrating
the terror attack.

The two incidents, the ‘Pulwama Attack’ (the former) and the ‘Balakot Strikes’ (the latter)
came to dominate much of the political and media (traditional and social) space in the build-
up to the Indian General to be held just a few months later in April-May 2019. The incident
itself, the subsequent coverage, and the political rhetoric around it have led to various
psephologists, journalists, and scholars attributing it to the eventual victory of the
incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Modi was able to retain power with a single-
party majority and increase the Bharatiya Janata Party’s vote share, and strength in the
Parliament.

The thesis that this essay puts forward is – “Emotional triggers can be utilised to help fuel a
leader's image and popularity.”

To effectively provide an answer for this thesis statement, the essay will delve into the
following topics and answer them –

1. What were the dominant emotions prevailing in the country after the 2 incidents?
2. Was there any political communication about the incident?
3. What emotions were prevalent, if any, in the political communication put out by the
political parties in India?
4. Was there any electoral impact as a result of these emotions?
 5. Was there any electoral benefit reaped by a political party as a result of this incident
in the Indian General Elections held in April-May 2019?

To understand the influence of emotions and their impact on political processes, the essay
will rely on prior research done, and apply those findings, if relevant, to the case presented.
To identify the presence of these emotions, their utilisation by political actors, and whether
it constitutes as political communication, the essay will look into the speeches made by
different political leaders, media coverage, and the sentiments on social media. To argue the
impact of these emotions and their effect on the elections, the essay will use news reports,
pre-election opinion polls, and post-poll surveys.

Through this approach, the essay will attempt to show the spike in popularity of Narendra
Modi in the months before the election (after the Pulwama Attack and Balakot Strikes), and
conversely also the decline in the popularity of his principal opposition – Rahul Gandhi and
the Indian National Congress. Further, it will also attempt to show how the use of political
communication during this crisis helped transform the election to one centred around
personalities and nationalism.

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