Kerala Polls 2026: From WhatsApp Wars To AI Videos, How Social Media Is Shaping Election Narrative

Last Updated:April 03, 2026, 8:06 PM IST

Kerala parties run AI driven social media war rooms to shape election narratives, target youth and gated voters, but officials warn of rising misinformation and communal content.

AICC General Secretary and party candidate for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by-polls Priyanka Gandhi meets a family while campaigning for polls, in Wayanad district, Kerala. (IMAGE: PTI)

In Kerala’s election discourse, social media is no longer a sideshow. It is central to how political narratives are built, contested and amplified. From WhatsApp forwards to AI-generated videos, online platforms are increasingly shaping voter perception well before the campaign reaches the ground.

Over the past few years, politically charged narratives around identity, community and governance have gained traction online in the state. These narratives do not always reflect ground realities in a straightforward way, but they do shape how voters interpret them.

Political parties across the spectrum appear to have recognised this shift. Campaigns are now being designed with a digital-first approach, where messaging is tailored for quick consumption and high shareability.

According to a report by The Hindu, round-the-clock war rooms staffed by IT professionals and agencies are now driving social media-centric campaigns for all three fronts in Kerala. Artificial intelligence has emerged as a key tool, with parties using it to generate videos and package political messaging in more engaging formats.

The report highlighted how the CPI(M)’s State IT Centre has pivoted to election-focused content, using AI to recreate visuals and narrate governance stories where archival footage is limited.

On the other side, Congress has hired dedicated agencies and is experimenting with a mix of AI-driven content and satire-style videos to reach younger audiences.

The BJP, too, is deploying AI-generated content and targeted messaging, including videos designed to sharpen its attack lines against both the LDF and the UDF.

But the growing centrality of social media comes with risks. The same ecosystem that amplifies campaign messaging also enables misinformation. The The Hindu report cited a recent instance where actor Asif Ali had to publicly deny a fake, communally sensitive post circulated in his name, underlining how quickly false narratives can gain traction and trigger polarised reactions.

Police officials tracking the digital space have flagged a surge in communally charged content during the election period, often circulated through both genuine and fake profiles. In one case, Kerala Police initiated legal action over an AI-generated video that allegedly misrepresented constitutional authorities.

This expanding digital battlefield is also a response to changing social realities. According to The New Indian Express, political parties — particularly the CPI(M) — have drawn lessons from past defeats, including the BJP’s WhatsApp-driven campaign in Tripura. “That taught us the importance of digital communication and the power of social media in reaching voters,” KS Arun Kumar of the CPI(M) said.

“Earlier, house visits were central to campaigning. Now, most people are at work, and in gated communities or apartments, entry is restricted. The only way to reach them is through messaging and social media,” he added, explaining why digital outreach has become indispensable.

Even cultural formats are being adapted for this new battleground. Politically loaded rap songs, short videos and meme-based content are being used to communicate campaign messages in a format that resonates with younger voters and travels easily across platforms.

The question, then, is not whether social media reflects ground reality perfectly. It often does not. But it increasingly shapes the lens through which that reality is viewed. In Kerala, where elections are closely fought and voter awareness is high, that lens matters.

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