How BJP Used Paid Influencers and News Channels in West Bengal Election

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) paid a total of Rs 2.73 crore to 20 Bengali content creators, influencers and digital media outlets during the West Bengal election campaign from March 15 to May 6, 2026, according to its expenditure statement submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, the party’s virtual campaign expenditure schedule showed “zero” spending.

One prominent name in the filing is screenwriter and digital creator Sayak Chakraborty, who received Rs 2.5 lakh under the electronic media advertising category.

Chakraborty had earlier sparked a political controversy through a video posted from the historic Olypub restaurant on Park Street. He alleged that he and his companions were served beef despite ordering mutton steaks. The incident quickly became a political controversy, and police arrested a Muslim waiter following Chakraborty’s complaint.

BJP leaders circulated the video on social media. Tarunjyoti Tewari shared it, while Keya Ghosh questioned whether Hindus had become “easy targets”. Olypub later apologised, saying the incident was an inadvertent mistake. Chakraborty subsequently said he wanted to withdraw his complaint after allegations emerged that the incident had been used as part of a political conspiracy.

However, the ECI expenditure statement covers only March 15 to May 6. Therefore, the filing does not establish that Chakraborty’s January video was funded by the BJP. The available evidence only shows that he was paid during the official election campaign period.

Allegations over Kundu Family Payments

Another Bengali digital creator, Sukanta Kundu, was reportedly present with Chakraborty during the Olypub incident. His name does not appear directly in the BJP filing, but two people identified as his parents; Subrata Kundu and Shikha Kundu, appear in the payment list.

Subrata Kundu received Rs 3 lakh, while Shikha Kundu received Rs 4.5 lakh. This has led to allegations that payments were made through family members as proxies.

Rs 2.73 Crore Paid to 20 Recipients

The BJP’s filing shows payments totalling Rs 2.73 crore to 20 individuals and organisations. The highest payment, Rs 51 lakh, went to Suddhashil Ghosh.

Noticias Infomedia Private Limited received Rs 41.30 lakh, Banglahunt Digital Media Private Limited Rs 22.50 lakh and The News Bangla Rs 22 lakh. Political Daily received Rs 20.80 lakh and Madhyom Communications Private Limited Rs 20.65 lakh.

Other recipients included Jyotiraditya Roy (Rs 17.80 lakh), Priyanka Sarkar (Rs 15 lakh), Shamik Adhikary (Rs 13 lakh), Rudra Barta (Rs 11 lakh), Moumita Banik (Rs 9.70 lakh), Aaj Bangla News (Rs 5.30 lakh), “Pinak Ki Bolchi” (Rs 5.25 lakh), Shikha Kundu (Rs 4.50 lakh), Iti Karmakar and Subrata Kundu (Rs 3 lakh each), Sayak Chakraborty (Rs 2.50 lakh), Sangit Sarkar (Rs 2 lakh), Nadia News Pro (Rs 1.27 lakh) and Punarvas (Rs 1 lakh).

The Rs 2.73 crore was significantly less than the Rs 31.39 crore spent by the BJP on Facebook and Google advertising. It is also unclear whether the payments were one-time retainers covering the entire campaign period. The creators did not disclose in their posts that they were sponsored or paid content.

News Channels and Political Messaging

Suddhashil Ghosh runs the YouTube channel “Priyo Bandhu Media”, which has more than one million subscribers. The channel claims to provide authentic information and impartial news analysis but has frequently criticised the TMC and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while promoting the BJP.

The channel gained attention following the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Ghosh produced emotional videos demanding government accountability. In September 2024, police raided his Sonarpur residence and seized several devices over allegations involving derogatory comments about the Supreme Court.

The BJP opposed the raid and portrayed Ghosh as a symbol of free speech. His receipt of Rs 51 lakh from the party, however, has raised questions about the channel’s claim of neutrality. On Facebook, Ghosh describes himself as a “soldier fighting to protect Hindus, Bengalis and Sanatanis”.

Another channel, “Songe Adwitiya”, hosted by Adwitiya Roy and run by Jyotiraditya Roy, received Rs 17.8 lakh. “Rudra Barta”, with around five lakh subscribers, received Rs 11 lakh and openly promotes Hindutva ideology and statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

The BJP also paid for several digital news platforms that imitate the presentation style of mainstream news organisations.

Clipped Video Controversy

On April 25, a clipped video of Trinamool leader Bairon Biswas circulated with claims that he had admitted defeat. The BJP’s official account and leader Amit Malviya shared the video, while Banglahunt also published a report.

Fact-checking organisation Alt News later analysed the full video and said the remarks had been taken out of context, changing their meaning.

During the same campaign period, Banglahunt’s parent company received Rs 22.5 lakh from the BJP, while Noticias Infomedia Pvt Ltd, which operates “The Wall”, received Rs 41.3 lakh.

The News Bangla received Rs 22 lakh and Aaj Bangla News Rs 5.3 lakh. Political Daily and “Pinak Ki Bolchi” received Rs 20.8 lakh and Rs 5.25 lakh respectively.

Tidings Media and Communications Pvt Ltd also received Rs 7.67 lakh. The company is the corporate owner of “Ei Samay”. One of its key directors is Sanjay Basu, who has served as the West Bengal government’s senior standing counsel in the Supreme Court and has been described as close to senior TMC leaders.

Lifestyle Influencers

Former radio jockey Priyanka Sarkar, known as RJ Priyanka, received Rs 15 lakh. She has more than 3.3 million Facebook followers and over 1.4 million Instagram followers. Her content mainly focuses on lifestyle, travel and entertainment.

Shamik Adhikary, known as “Nonsane”, received Rs 13 lakh. Nine days before the Olypub incident, he released a short film about electoral violence and women’s safety that received around 442,000 reactions and 67,000 shares on Facebook.

Adhikary said he did not make the video for money, although the ECI filing confirms a commercial relationship with the BJP during the subsequent campaign period. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya later publicly supported him.

Iti Karmakar of “Candid Caly” received Rs 3 lakh, while commentator Sangit Sarkar received Rs 2 lakh.

According to the report, some of these influencers are now being taken to Uttar Pradesh by the Yogi Adityanath government to influence Bengali voters there.

Questions over Campaign Spending Transparency

The ECI requires parties to submit specific Schedules 24A and 24B for social media and digital campaigning, including creator names and links to posts.

However, both schedules were left blank in the BJP’s filing, with virtual campaign expenditure shown as “nil”. Instead, the 20 creators and digital pages were listed under “electronic media advertising”.

As the payments were recorded as retainers rather than being linked to specific posts or URLs, the filings show who received money and how much, but do not establish which particular video, reel or post each payment was intended to fund.

The ECI documents therefore provide a record of payments made during the election campaign but leave unclear how the payments corresponded to individual pieces of digital content.

Source: The Wire