BJP Paid Influencers and YouTubers Millions During West Bengal Assembly Elections, ECI Records Reveal
- Influencer Payments: A total of 36 content creators, including actors and vloggers, received significant financial compensation from the BJP for producing political and journalistic content.
- Controversial Allegations: Actor Sayak Chakraborty, who received ₹2.5 lakhs, faced accusations of manufacturing a religious controversy at a Kolkata restaurant to create disharmony.
- Political Criticism: The Trinamool Congress has accused the BJP of using these influencers to deliberately engineer religious polarisation and spread anti-government propaganda.
- Content Scope: Paid creators produced a variety of content, ranging from criticism of the TMC government’s handling of the RG Kar case to songs targeting state administration corruption.
The Context & Background
These disclosures follow the public release of the BJP’s total election expenditure of ₹286.99 crore in West Bengal. The findings have intensified the ongoing rivalry between the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress, raising questions about the role of digital media in modern Indian political campaigns.
Why it matters:This revelation highlights the growing influence of digital creators in shaping voter sentiment and the potential for political parties to use paid influencers to manufacture narratives. It underscores the urgent need for transparency in digital political advertising and the ethical implications of blurring the lines between independent content creation and party-funded propaganda.
Original Sources & Coverage (1)
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