Influencers and BJP’s Bengal campaign: What the Shamik Adhikary-Sayak Chakraborty payments reveal
Election Commission of India documents indicate the BJP allocated significant funds to Bengali content creators Shamik Adhikary and Sayak Chakraborty for promotional campaign material.
What exactly are influencers influencing and what happens when their influence is paid for as part of an election campaign?
An influencer is not defined by their reach but what they enable: a specific audience that connects to them on a personal level, which could be their personality, content, or a certain aesthetic. That audience can be persuaded to buy products and services ranging from fast food to social causes.
During an election, that persuasion takes the form of a political pitch, which is why the latest controversy around the BJP’s election expenditure focuses on two Bengal-based content creators: Shamik Adhikary popularly known as Nonsane and actor Sayak Chakraborty.
Based on the election expenditure statements uploaded by the BJP to the Election Commission of India, ₹13 lakhs were spent on the content created by Shamik Adhikary (Nonsane), and ₹2.5 lakhs on Sayak Chakraborty for the BJP’s 2026 West Bengal Assembly election campaign.
This follows fresh questions about the content created by both influencers ahead of the Bengal elections.
Who are Shamik Adhikary and Sayak Chakraborty?
Shamik Adhikary, who goes by the moniker Nonsane on social media, is a popular content creator who has amassed a following by posting satire, comedy, and sharp takes on society and politics. He went viral last year with his ‘Button’ video, which explored themes of caste and gender and, by extension, politics. Earlier this year, actor Sayak Chakraborty found himself at the centre of a political row after he accused the restaurant he was dining at in Kolkata’s OlyPub of serving him beef instead of mutton. The incident led to the detention of the staff involved and several questions about beef and the law in West Bengal. Chakraborty later deleted the video, citing that he wanted to move on from the drama so that it did not overshadow his vlogs.
It is important to note that the newly revealed payments do not necessarily indicate that each and every content piece created by the influencers was paid political propaganda.
The ₹13 lakhs and ₹2.5 lakhs figures only pertain to promotional content, for which the influencers were hired separately to make posts supportive of the BJP and its candidates.
The controversy around both content creators has raised fresh questions about the type of content they created before the elections and whether it was in any way paid for by the BJP.
Where does the Election Commission’s data come in?
Any political party that spends more than a certain amount on an election is required to file reports with the Election Commission on campaign expenditure. It is standard practice for parties to include their all ad spending, as well as other expenses incurred for campaign-related activities. The latest expenditure reports belong to the BJP and pertain to the Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
According to the Election Commission’s data, the BJP’s central office spent ₹529.38 crore on the elections to the five states. Out of this amount, ₹286.99 crore was spent on the West Bengal Assembly elections. Of this, ₹217.16 lakh was spent on general party expenses, including influencers and other promotional content. ₹69.83 crore was spent on candidates and their election expenses, which also include payments to media outlets for advertisements. The ₹58.80 lakh paid to candidates is included in this figure and not an expense over and above it.
To put the ₹13 lakhs and ₹2.5 lakhs figures in context, they are a minuscule portion of the overall expenditure on the West Bengal elections.
Why do the Shamik Adhikary and Sayak Chakraborty controversies matter?
Traditional political advertising informs voters of the stand of a political party and its candidates. There is an element of persuasion involved, since any advertisement aims to influence the opinion of the target audience. So too does the promotional content created by influencers for the BJP, except that it appears in a different medium and comes from a different source — one that enjoys a certain degree of familiarity and relatability with their audience.
The difference, then, is one of medium, which also raises questions of transparency. What distinguishes ‘organic’ content from promotional content?
This depends on the nature of the content itself, as well as the terms of the contract.
The Shamik Adhikary and Sayak Chakraborty controversies provide a useful insight into the manner in which the BJP’s election campaigning works at present. The party has evolved beyond traditional electioneering methods and is now spending significantly on social media influencers in order to reach out to new audiences.
Beyond the quibbling over the relevance and impact of the ₹13 lakhs and ₹2.5 lakhs figures, respectively, there is also the larger question of how much the BJP and other political parties are spending on social media content and influencers.
