Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Nov 3
Online searches for Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi increased by more than 5000 percent over the preceding week, according to Google Trends data, reflecting a sharp rise in public interest ahead of his announcement that he was quitting the National Conference.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest regional search interest in India for the politician, followed by Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The surge coincided with Ruhullah’s November 3 announcement that he was severing ties with the NC and resigning from his Lok Sabha seat.
Google Trends recorded a breakout in search interest, indicating an increase of more than 5000 percent compared with the preceding week and the corresponding period last year.
Among the most frequently searched terms were “Aga Ruhullah”, “Ruhullah Mehdi”, “Aga Ruhullah Mehdi” and “Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi”.
Ruhullah had announced in late October that he intended to resign, with November 3 subsequently fixed for the formal announcement.
He made the announcement at Behisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam, where he addressed supporters on the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi.
The Google Trends figures measure relative search interest rather than the actual number of searches conducted. They also do not establish the level of public support for a political figure.
The platform’s breakout indicator denotes an exceptionally large increase in search activity compared with the selected reference period.
The past-week trend showed relatively low search activity for much of the period, followed by a sharp rise towards the weekend, indicating that most of the increase was concentrated within a short timeframe rather than building gradually.
Data covering the past year also suggested that online interest in Ruhullah had been intermittent, with isolated spikes separated by extended periods of relatively low activity.
Noticeable increases were recorded around April and August-September, while the latest surge marked another significant jump in search interest.
