Assam CM Himanta most followed X account in Northeast, 9th most followed CM

NEW DELHI: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has crossed 2.2 million followers on social media platform X. With this, the firebrand leader has become the most followed account in Northeast India and is the 9th most followed Chief Minister in India on X.

Himanta Biswa Sarma is the 15th Chief Minister of Assam. On 10 May 2021, Sarma was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Assam, succeeding his colleague Sarbananda Sonowal. His X followers have grown 120% since he assumed the CM office demonstrating the popularity he has enjoyed both online and offline.

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However, among the political circles, he has been known to use social media ever since its inception by being responsive on both Facebook and Twitter (now known as X). “He was among the first politicians to take social media in terms of its connection to people. Initially on Facebook, then Twitter and later other platforms. We, as Journos, have seen in the past decade, works related to his department, on social media being shared. As journalists, we were also able to cover it due to his updates. He would reply to messages from journos and the public on social media, which perhaps have helped common people to get easier access to a busy politician like him,” said Ratnadip Choudhury, Senior Working journalist based in Guwahati.

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As a Health Minister of Assam during the COVID lockdown in the previous government, Himanta Biswa Sarma effectively used social media to give daily updates on COVID-19 in terms of vaccination status and infection status along with the availability of oxygen. “Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, as Health Minister, Himanta ji acted like the guardian of the entire state and instilled confidence among people, especially patients and made people aware about the availability of supplies such as beds, oxygen through social media,” said Ratna Singh, Assam BJP Spokesperson.

On the other, he has been also known to put up controversial Tweets on X as well. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US in June 2023, former US President Obama made comments about Muslims in India. In response, Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that there are many “Hussain Obama in India” and his priority will be in dealing with them. This had triggered extensive discussions in India and abroad making him a part of International discussions.

As per social media experts, he has effectively used social media to target youngsters as they mostly consume information on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. “CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s choice of Twitter and other social media over TV shows an understanding of today’s digital world. By reaching out to the younger audience online, he smartly adapts to modern communication trends in politics,” said Simon Choudhury, Digital Marketing Expert.

The students have shared that they follow the Assam CM on social media to get first-hand information. “As CM Sir is socially active, so we used to follow him on social media and whenever we see his post we get information regarding the happenings in Assam, his day-to-day visits and his doings,” said Partha Pratim Haloi, a student of Mass Communication Department, Gauhati University.

Himanta Biswa Sarma is also known popularly as “Mama” by the youth as they see a familiar figure in him. As such, many memes are made on him to demonstrate their love. “We love to follow him, as his social media accounts are like a platform of information, we got to know the day-to-day information from his posts, and along with that, we also love his words and how he speaks,” said Mriganka Kumar Barman, Chemistry Department, USTM. Being a good sport, he has never objected to memes made in good humour against him.

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As per meme makers of Assam, a meme on Assam CM always goes viral due to his popularity. “He understands why the youths love him, especially teenagers and he interacts and has fun with them like a common man. From a marketing side, the young voters’ interaction is very important for him and he has connected with the youth. From an engagement side, all his memes do well on social media,” said Binod Arjel, Founder of Teenagers of Assam Page, one of the most popular Instagram and Facebook pages in Assam.

At a time, when a few politicians in India are swift to react to any memes and report them down, the meme makers have not faced any opposition from the Chief Minister and his office. “Officially, I have never faced any problem from the CM side as he has taken the humour lightly,” added Binod Arjel.

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