The yatras and rallies are Bihar’s favourite mode of campaign. Add helicopter rides by netas for an added attraction during the poll season, given the long distances in the state. But this time, as the assembly elections draw closer, political parties are embracing artificial intelligence to produce parody videos, songs, and posters to woo voters.
From AI-generated videos that resurrect images of the “Lalu-Rabri era”, and even videos showing artists dressed as members of the Lalu family to talk about divisions, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is targeting its main Opposition parties, including the Congress. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) too has hit back with AI-generated videos targeting the BJP and PM Narendra Modi. The RJD’s parody and spoof videos mock rivals with imagery of “jumle” (fake promises).
As it is a much cheaper and faster mode of getting the message across, several other parties are also relying on short reels, memes, and customised avatars to reach voters on social media sites like Instagram and X. Given the significant time spent on phones, they make for an attractive medium for maximum impact.
The BJP and its allies have leaned on AI to present sharp contrasts between Bihar under Lalu and the governance record under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Janata Dal (United)’s IT cell has experimented with in-house caricatures and cartoon series to highlight infrastructure and welfare schemes and even lampoon RJD leaders. In some AI-generated videos, the claim of Tejashwi Yadav as chief minister is made fun of by saying Rahul Gandhi has not accepted it.
Parties are also churning out graphics and memes, and even the campaign songs are set to folk beats, particularly Bhojpuri. While the parties have taken to AI videos with a vengeance, the courts and the Election Commission in the past had asked for caution against misleading AI videos.
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For voters, the new wave of campaign material is both entertaining and confusing. While some enjoy the humour and creativity, others worry about truth being lost in the noise.
Unlike the previous elections, where people enthusiastically participated in rallies and cheered their favourite leaders, these AI videos help in creating narratives and keeping the interest alive. Many have already started calling it Bihar’s first AI election.
However, given the highly polarised and caste-ridden polity of the state, the AI videos cannot replace the traditional modes of campaign. The leaders will still have to travel, hold rallies, conduct yatras, and crisscross through their helicopters to keep the voters glued and motivated so that they reach the polling booth on the given date.