Campaign Discourses in Cyberspace: Thematic Patterns in Online News Coverage of 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections

Abstract

The current era is witnessing a transformation in elections and election campaigns due to online media. The role of the online media in election campaigning has increased significantly. The use and influence of the internet have grown over time. This research conducts a thematic analysis of news related to the Bihar elections on two online news platforms: The Indian Express and The Print. This research is entirely based on secondary data. For this purpose, news articles related to the Bihar elections published on both platforms between October 1 and November 31, 2025, were collected as data. The research found that both platforms gave prominence to news related to electoral reforms. The difference between the two was that while The Indian Express presented it in terms of credibility and reforms, The Print highlighted allegations of vote rigging and the challenges of judicial inquiry. Following this, news related to development, schemes, and youth received significant coverage.