As India sat before TV, mobile and laptop screens and election trends started coming in, social media opened the tap for a barrage of memes. Memers, it seems, were competing with news channels, providing the fastest take on the numbers. And they didn’t need long articles or even lengthier discussions to come to conclusions—Bollywood references were enough.
Nitish Kumar emerged as the ‘man of the moment’. The Bihar Chief Minister has a history of switching political parties faster than one can spell election. Social media is flooded with memes anticipating Kumar’s next move, with the INDIA bloc all set to offer a defining resistance against the Modi wave. Without even trying, he’s become the main character. It is hard to decide which meme captures the situation best.
SRK’s famous ‘palat’ moment in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1998) is a top contender. Just as Raj waited with bated breath for Simran (Kajol) to affirm her love for him, INDIA alliance is waiting for him to switch sides.
Palat… pic.twitter.com/9a9JN05LXL
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) June 4, 2024
Rahul Gandhi to Nitish Kumar pic.twitter.com/CY6ewJpW7q
— A.J. (@beingabhi2712) June 4, 2024
Nitish Kumar’s ‘double dating’ led to more literal references too. A popular one shows a scene from Welcome (2007), where Mallika Sherawat’s character romances both Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor) and Don Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar)
Behind the Scene pic.twitter.com/vcrS8iT1cZ
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) June 4, 2024
Heart attack aa jaayega ab.. pic.twitter.com/eCAOJcCKh7
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) June 4, 2024
Nitish Kumar when he flips for one more time pic.twitter.com/RVe1L3UQXw
— Rxm.⌐◨-◨ (@SocialChartered) June 4, 2024
Reversing the UP wave
The shocker for BJP in Uttar Pradesh has restored some people’s faith in the state.
Sincere apology to al noida people…. pic.twitter.com/p1H6SM0e2M
— muski 🌈 (@muskanmt13) June 4, 2024
Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as a ‘chupa rustam’. An image of the Samajwadi Party chief with the caption “Bharosa kar bhai sach mein maine kuch padhai nahi kari exam ke liye—believe me, brother, I really haven’t studied anything for the exam” has caught the internet’s attention.
"Bharosa kar bhai sach mein maine kuch padhai nahi kari exam ke liye" pic.twitter.com/ix9pVTY26d
— Lok 🥦🥝🥑 (@wtfflok) June 4, 2024
Dating lingo made its way into the fight in UP too.
the guy she said not to worry about 😭 pic.twitter.com/I8tqjsquWo
— yash (@stfujaadu) June 4, 2024
Modi on the offensive
The election news update that sent shockwaves through the internet was the news of PM Modi trailing from his seat in Varanasi, by nearly 6,000 votes. One X user imagined how Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni, whose closeness with Modi has been fodder for many memes, might be feeling.
meloni ji right now pic.twitter.com/uRWHkOQtK8
— Kaajukatla (@kaajukatla) June 4, 2024
Even Opposition party politicians didn’t shy away from sharing memes.
Meanwhile, Modi Ji 👇 pic.twitter.com/iLMFFO2rTX
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) June 4, 2024
There were many more on Modi desperately calling Nitish Kumar and asking him not to jump ship.
Nitish Kumar from PM Narendra Modi.😂#ElectionsResults pic.twitter.com/w5DKNWxPff
— Radhika Chaudhary (@Radhika8057) June 4, 2024
As BJP’s Smriti Irani lost to Congress veteran Kishori Lal Sharma, the memers got brutal.
Comedian Sahil Shah made an absolutely in-your-face reference to the tagline of the women and child development minister’s once-popular Star Plus show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Today Smriti Irani realised the real meaning of "Rishton Ke Bhi Roop Badalte Hai"
— Sahil Shah 🇮🇳 (@SahilBulla) June 4, 2024
A satirical account that goes by Narunder shared an image to show how Irani might be feeling right now
Live from Amethi. pic.twitter.com/lqJwGnieQ1
— Narundar (@NarundarM) June 4, 2024
Changing tides in Andhra, Kerala
In a reversal of the 2019 results, the ruling YSRCP, led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been taken over by the TDP-led alliance comprising the TDP, BJP, and Jana Sena Party in Andhra Pradesh. So could meme makers really keep away TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu? Kingmaker, they called him, while sharing an old video of Modi pulling Naidu onto a chair.
Chandrababu Naidu, the kingmaker 😂🔥 #ElectionsResults pic.twitter.com/vF5C8UPI3w
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) June 4, 2024
The BJP has gotten its first-ever Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. And the sorrow is too much for Malayalis to bear. They’ve turned to Fahadh Faasil’s iconic scene from this year’s hit Aavesham to process their emotions.
Looking at Overall vs Kerala results pic.twitter.com/95Qe49d5T6
— 🥔 (@askjsksjsk) June 4, 2024
But despite losing out on Thrissur, the Congress Kerala’s official X handle has been batting it straight out of the park consistently with its memes. It made a rather unabashed comparison between PM Modi’s school scores and that of the current election.
Modiji is staring at the second defeat of his life, the first being 8th standard. pic.twitter.com/f57k1UOnHc
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) June 4, 2024
It also posted a reference to the 400 paar slogan, driving the point home with a clip of actor Innocent from Vietnam Colony (1992).
That descent was quite steep — from heaven to earth! pic.twitter.com/5O6yzJFYfY
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) June 4, 2024
Indians may lack a lot of things, but savage humour and meme-making talent are definitely not it.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)