Thread by @joyopal

UP election hashtags study:
1. Smaller alliance parties (RLD, ApnaDal etc) hashtag about larger partners (BJP, SP), don't get reciprocated!
2. BJP hashtags more positive-themed, INC most antagonistic
3. Alliance parties prefer talking about Modi, State BJP wants to focus on Yogi

We find a high degree of organization among all parties, suggesting active IT cells generating hashtags.

All non-alliance partners attack the BJP.

SP and INC avoid attacking each other, but BSP, AIMIM do attack other non-BJP parties, suggesting potential of eating into votes.

INC has focused its hashtagging mainly on women's issues coalescing around #लड़की_हूँ_लड़_सकती_हूँ

Majority of UP INC politicians (over 80%) who have used this hashtag are male, a rare case of male politicians coalescing around a strategy framed in a female voice.

BJP hashtags mainly about the party itself. In general, almost all of its attack strategy is around SP, with some anti-INC hashtags.

Referring to @yadavakhilesh as a jinnah fan is key theme of negative hashtagging. The INC leader being targeted in this period is Nehru.

SP is the only party with a consistent and disciplined use of a single hashtag on a weekly basis #बाईस_में_बाइसिकल which managed to get Twitter trending status, suggesting that like other parties, SP's IT cell has also mastered gaming the Twitter algorithm.

The paper is called "What #hashtag wars tell us about the organization of Uttar Pradesh IT cells, and how parties mark their allies and enemies"

Research led by @Valalithak @asmitks @jiviteshjn @ponguru

Full paper, methodology, and data tables at:

joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/up-hashtags/