Lucknow: Long before the first ballot is cast for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, a fierce political battle has already erupted—this time on the digital front. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the principal opposition, the Samajwadi Party (SP), are locked in an intense “AI video war,” with deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated content targeting top leaders flooding social media platforms.
The controversy centers around two anonymous social media handles. A handle on X (formerly Twitter) named ‘Yaad Rakhega UP’, created in June this year, has been consistently posting AI-generated videos and political satire targeting SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. One particularly controversial AI video mocked Yadav to the tune of a popular Bollywood item song. While political circles speculate that the handle is run by a BJP-backed group, the ruling party has officially distanced itself from the account.
In a tit-for-tat response, another handle named ‘Ka Se Kalam’, which has been active since March, ramped up its attacks by sharing AI-generated videos targeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The digital skirmish spilled over into mainstream politics when Akhilesh Yadav openly played an AI-generated video of CM Adityanath during a recent press conference. Launching a scathing attack on the ruling party, Yadav accused the BJP of wasting public money on trivial online campaigns.
“Do not play children’s games. If you play like kids, we will play too,” Yadav warned, taking a dig at his political rivals. Reminding the public of his government’s previous tech initiatives, he added, “We distributed laptops to the youth a long time ago; they are far ahead of this.”
The BJP was quick to retaliate, fiercely condemning Yadav for displaying the AI video in a public forum. The Uttar Pradesh BJP unit accused the former Chief Minister of insulting seers, the Sanatan tradition, and the faith of millions.
Dismissing the SP’s allegations regarding the origin of the videos, BJP spokesperson Dinesh Pratap Singh stated, “The BJP does not stoop to this level of politics. Elections are won by ruling the hearts of the people, not through AI videos.”
As the political temperature rises in India’s most populous state, the escalating use of AI deepfakes raises fresh concerns about the narrative-building tactics and the future of digital campaigning leading up to the 2027 assembly polls.