VOTE FOR HUMOUR. Still from an election campaign video put out by the BJP

Kerala’s election season now comes with two certainties — monsoon-like political thundershowers… and a full-blown digital downpour on social media. What we are witnessing is less a campaign and more a daily “war of wits”, where the three political fronts trade punches in real time, armed not with microphones but memes.

Swift messaging

Each day’s political headlines are swiftly converted into tit-for-tat messaging. When allegations surfaced about the Left Front’s supposed understanding with the NDA, the CPI(M) fired back with a neat one-liner: “We have a deal only with the people.” Cue a crisply packaged explainer reel on the LDF government’s decade-long report card. Not to be outdone, BJP handles pushed viral content suggesting the CPI(M) and the Congress were “two sides of the same coin”.

CM in digital soup

And then there was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan snapping at someone who tried to raise a question midway through his campaign speech: “Go home and ask your folks.” The Congress cyber team didn’t let that pass. Within hours, it shot back: “Better sit at home and pontificate.” In Kerala’s digital battlefield, wit travels faster than wi-fi.

Behind such rapid-fire exchanges are highly organised digital war-rooms as the new nerve centres of political strategy. Leading the charge in sheer scale is the BJP-led NDA. With an army of nearly 10,000 digital foot soldiers operating across roughly 50,000 WhatsApp groups, the NDA’s online presence is relentless. A dedicated team functions out of the State election committee office for Rajeev Chandrasekhar, BJP State President and candidate from Nemom, and an additional war room in Thrikkakara.

At the core is a 100-member State-level team led by Anoop Antony, General Secretary, which dissects, debates and despatches content sourced from multiple agencies. Social media influencers are very much a part of this strategy.

One of the most creative digital videos put out by the right wing party on social media shows a man washing a red cloth, which slowly fades and becomes saffron hued.

Left not left behind

The CPI(M)-led LDF is no laggard either. Its social media machinery has been in motion well ahead of the election buzz, through a steady stream of polished ads and curated interviews highlighting government achievements. The effort is steered by a seasoned media professional with a clear left-of-centre orientation, hosting panel-style discussions with senior party leaders.

The Left is also promoting brand Pinarayi in a big way. Outsized billboards with the CM’s smiling visage are popping up on all busy streets. The personality-driven campaigns even prompted Leader of the Opposition V Satheesan to quip at a meeting that voters will be so tired of seeing Vijayan’s face that they will not vote for him. With no CM face projected yet, the Congress is rather piqued by the hoarding displays.

The Left has also roped in external professionals to amplify the reach of its PR content, a party insider said. Meanwhile, its older portal, irundakalam.org, a repository of alleged “dark age” stories from the previous UDF regime, stands as a reminder that, in politics, even archives can be weaponised (when they’re not buffering).

Congress playbook

The Congress-led UDF operates with a slightly different playbook. It has two parallel streams — a quick-response team for instant rebuttals and an AI-driven unit focusing on video content and fact-checking. These outputs are funnelled through the social media pages of party leaders and affiliated organisations.

Headed by Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden, the team also works to simplify and broadcast policy promises, including the guarantees articulated by Rahul Gandhi, especially for voters who may have missed the fine print but won’t miss a good reel.

Merchandise messaging

A popular new medium for messaging that has emerged in Kerala is apparel. Across the State you can see parties, mid-canvassing, distributing mundu and shirts with party symbols like the hand, hammer-and-sickle with star, and lotus.

Count on Kerala

Even as the political parties slug it out, the State Election Commission, Kerala, has joined the social media blitz. Through agencies Bridging Dots and Stark Communications, it has flooded the internet with engaging campaigns urging citizens to be sure to ink their preferences. From Vote Chat (a chatbot) to Vote Knock (door-to-door campaigns) and Vote Vandi (mobile campaigns), the election body has shown as much, if not more, creativity as the political parties.

(With inputs from Chitra Narayanan)

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Published on April 6, 2026