The current political scene in India demonstrates Andrew Chadwick’s idea of hybrid media systems, where traditional media and new media not only coexist but also interact and influence one another in shaping political communication. This hybrid model significantly transforms how political parties design and implement their mobilisation strategies, combining in-person activities with digital engagement to ensure their movements are impactful both offline and online. It also reflects the shift in how political mobilisation has developed from conventional methods.
Sociologist Manisha Tripathy Pandey argues that “digital spaces represent a new form of a deterritorialised networked public sphere marking a shift from Habermas’s (1991) conceptualisation of a traditional bourgeois public sphere (coffee houses, salons, etc.) to virtual platforms leading to the creation of a technologically mediated lifeworld.”
Chadwick’s idea of hybrid media systems can be now observed in Delhi as the election campaign for the upcoming assembly polls has reached its peak. Notably, this time political parties have shifted their focus from traditional banners, posters, and flags to social media. The parties are selective in term of choosing their campaign strategies and they’ve made a significant move towards digital campaigns such as Instagram, Facebook, You Tube and X.
These media platforms have become the playing ground for political parties and crores of rupees is being invested on political advertisements. According to a report published on ABP News on January 18, political parties have spent over Rs 8 crore in the last one month on campaigning for Delhi elections; more than Rs 4.74 crore on election campaign in Delhi on Google, while more than Rs 3.81 crore have been spent on Facebook for Delhi elections.
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According to Google data, in the last month, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has spent Rs 3.82 crore on Google ads for the Delhi assembly elections while Meta reports that the party allocated Rs 1.73 crore to Facebook ads during the same period. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also made a significant digital push, spending over Rs 2 crore on Facebook ads and Rs 64 lakh on Google ads.
Compared to elections in states like Maharashtra and Haryana, political parties in Delhi are spending three to four times more on digital advertisements, highlighting a major shift from traditional methods. This shift demonstrates how AI-powered digital platforms are effectively helping to promote political agendas and engage a broader audience, ensuring campaigns reach the masses more efficiently. An analysis by India Today reveals that over Rs 35.4 lakh was spent on online political ads in Maharashtra while more than Rs 28.6 lakh was spent in Haryana.
India Today reported that Congress leader Deepender Hooda launched the “Haryana Maange Hisaab” padayatra and spent more than Rs 13.3 lakh on Facebook and Instagram ads in July, as per data from the Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Centre.
Vote bank through media ads
During the Jharkhand assembly elections, the BJP’s media team circulated an ad that mocked the Muslim community, showing Muslim men and women entering a Hindu household, where they began taking over and occupying spaces. This sparked controversy in the state, leading Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI). The commission instructed the BJP to remove the video ad from public circulation. Such videos were seen as polarising and violative of the ECI’s code of conduct.
Similarly, an ad, which was shared on platforms like YouTube and X with the slogan “Roti Beti Mati ki Pukar, Jharkhand main Bhajpa Sarkar (The plea for bread, sister, and soil calls for BJP’s government in Jharkhand)” promoted communal tensions.
Now, in an attempt to sway public opinion ahead of Delhi assembly polls, the BJP, AAP and the Congress are leveraging their social media handles to create influential content. Numerous reels, shorts, and short videos with politically motivated agendas are circulating on various media platforms.
AI-generated videos
Cybersecurity expert Amit Dubey believes that digital campaigning has made it easier for parties to promote themselves, while also making it easier for the ECI to monitor spending on social media and digital platforms. However, this shift has also led to challenges like deepfake and AI-generated videos during the election campaign. For instance, voters had witnessed deepfake videos being circulated of numerous leaders like Narendra Modi (BJP), Shivraj Singh Chauhan (BJP), Kailash Vijayvargiya (BJP) and Kamal Nath (Congress) during the last Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress had even complained to the EC against BJP’s advertisement campaign, alleging it was maligning Opposition parties through the use of cropped and distorted videos, and urged the poll body to take immediate action and issue instructions for recall. The Congress also filed a complaint against what it called the BJP’s “malicious attempts” to link the Congress campaign to billionaire financier George Soros.
On January 16, the EC has issued an advisory to mandate the labelling of all AI-generated content used in election campaigns. This move aims to enhance transparency, combat misinformation, and ensure a fair electoral process on the face of rapidly advancing AI technologies. This advisory builds on the commission’s earlier guidelines issued during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where political parties were directed to refrain from using AI-generated distorted content, deepfakes, or any material that could disrupt a level playing field. The latest directive expands this mandate by emphasising the need for prominent labelling of AI-generated content to foster transparency and accountability.
As political parties continue to use AI for designing videos in an attempt to attack opponents, the blame game will continue for a while, but what about the future of Delhi’s people who aspire for a better life? How will AI play a role in transforming the lives of Delhiites? How much the idea of Chadwick will help the APP, BJP and Congress in Delhi elections? However, as political parties make numerous promises to individuals, doubts and uncertainty still persist in the minds of the people.
Haider Ali did his Masters in Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
