India has recently launched a satirical political movement called Telapoka Janata Party or CJP. The group reached 9 million followers on Instagram in just a few days. The CJP has defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power since the BJP currently has 8.7 million followers on Instagram, followed by the Congress with 13.2 million and the Aam Aadmi Party with 1.9 million.
The movement started on May 16 as a youth protest following the controversial remarks of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. Then, on May 17, the account was opened on Instagram and reached 3 million followers in just 78 hours. By May 20, the number crossed 9 million. The CJP achieved this feat with just 54 posts, while the BJP has shared over 18,000 posts so far. The group has more than 165,000 followers on Twitter.
The platform is mainly trying to create political awareness by highlighting issues like unemployment, question paper leak etc. Internet users have also reacted to its rapid growth. Many joked that this time it will exceed 100 crores by changing BJP’s election slogan. Some are questioning whether this popularity of Instagram will really translate into votes in elections. In response, the party said, no one should ignore the power of the youth.
The man behind the Telapoka Janata Party is Abhijit Deepke, a 30-year-old youth from Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Abhijit holds a Master’s degree from Boston University and previously worked as a social media volunteer for the Aam Aadmi Party. Popular politicians like Akhilesh Yadav and Mahua Maitra have also supported the movement on social media. So far, more than 160,000 people have registered on the party’s website. Abhijit said he may consider returning to India to take the movement forward based on public feedback and suggestions.
