Srinagar, Nov 4: Search interest in Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah surged by more than 5000 percent over the preceding week.
According to Google Trends, Jammu and Kashmir emerged as the leading region in India for searches related to the politician.
The surge came ahead of Ruhullah’s November 3 announcement regarding parting his ways from National Conference and resignation from his Lok Sabha seat.
The announcement had brought to a head his prolonged confrontation with the party leadership.
Google Trends data for India shows a breakout in search interest, exceeding 5000 percent.
This figure is in comparison with both the preceding week and the corresponding period last year.
J&K ranked first among Indian regions for search interest, followed by Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The data also shows multiple variations of the politician’s name. Among the most searched queries were ‘Aga Ruhullah’, ‘Ruhullah Mehdi’, ‘Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’ and ‘Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’.
Ruhullah had announced his intention to resign in late October and his formal announcement was scheduled for November 3.
He made the announcement today at Behisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam. The day was also the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi.
The Google Trends figures, however, measures relative search interest and not the actual number of searches.
It is not a direct indicator of public support for a politician.
The breakout indicator denotes an exceptionally large increase from the comparison period.
The past-week graph, search interest remained relatively low for much of the period. It shot up sharply towards the weekend.
This indicates that the bulk of the increase was concentrated in a short window, and does not represent a gradual build-up in searches.
A look at the search trend over the past year suggests that interest in Ruhullah has largely been episodic.
The graph showing sharp but isolated spikes separated by extended periods of relatively low search activity.
There are noticeable peaks around April and August-September.
The latest surge marks another significant jump in search interest.–(GK)
