The social media performance of Union ministers came under review at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, with an overall ranking of ministers based on their digital outreach and engagement being shared with the members,
sources said.
According to sources, the assessment was not limited to a comparison among Cabinet ministers. The methodology also took into account the traction generated by political leaders across the spectrum, ranging from the top leadership to grassroots-level leaders, across major social media platforms.
The assessment covered the period from May 1 to August 15, 2026, tracking the social media activity and performance of ministers over roughly three-and-a-half months.
The performance review covered Instagram, X and Facebook. Among the key parameters considered were the average number of posts put out each day, total engagement, average engagement per post, total and average likes, follower count and the overall level of interaction generated by each minister.
Sources said the exercise was aimed at providing a comprehensive picture of the ministers’ digital outreach rather than simply measuring their follower base.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged as the top-ranked leader in the overall social media performance assessment.
The ministers have also been advised to step up their social media activity, with a greater focus on increasing engagement and encouraging meaningful interactions with citizens.
The exercise is significant as the government and the BJP have increasingly placed emphasis on digital communication and direct outreach through social media platforms, particularly for communicating policy initiatives, government programmes and political messaging.
In an earlier Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had specifically urged his ministerial colleagues to step up their presence on platforms such as Instagram.
He asked ministers whether they were active on Instagram, how many young people were engaging with the platform, and what kind of traction and engagement their content was generating.
The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for ministers to be more active and make their social media presence interactive and engaging, underlining that meaningful engagement with young audiences would be key to winning the social media game.
