Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: From rallies to reels: high-stakes digital face-off for polls

With a few days left for the Kerala Assembly polls, the digital space has turned into a warzone with social media handles of major fronts posting a whirlwind of content.

The usage of concept videos has seen an increase. Concept videos are content-driven visual presentations, usually in Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, that aim at seeding and feeding a particular theme or core idea to a target audience. “Concept videos have been used in previous elections as well, especially after the digital boom in the post-pandemic period. It is cost-effective and can reach more people,” says Joseph Christy Francis, a public relations (PR) consultant.

“The target audience is the 16-26 age group, mostly first-time voters who are primarily active on Instagram, and this group can become the decisive factor in the polls. So political parties have focussed more on Instagram this time,” says a PR professional based in Ernakulam. “These short videos, mostly 30-seconds long, are cheaper to produce and can create emotional connections with the audience,” he adds, citing the example of a video made by the United Democratic Front (UDF) on Indira Guarantees.

“We want to capture the attention of the Gen Z voters. Through reels, based on the theme ‘Irunda Kalam,’ our aim is to draw their attention to the state of administration in Kerala 10 years prior,” says a Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] worker. Interestingly, there is a website too on the same theme and name.

“We are creating content focussing on different target groups, including youth and women. We mainly create videos under three key taglines—Nanniyunde, Vikasita Keralam, and Mathiyayi,” says Abhijith Radhakrishnan Nair, State-level social media-IT convener of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Though parties have denied collaborating with influencers, content has been shared in social media that suggests otherwise, especially integrated videos. In such videos, the promotion of a particular political party will be very subtle and woven into the narrative.

But podcasters seem to have hit the jackpot this election. “Podcasts are trending now, and many candidates, including Pinarayi Vijayan and V.D. Satheesan, have given podcast interviews,” says Mr. Francis. These videos have raked in lakhs of views. “Podcasts are more casual, and have a certain level of ease,” he says. While regular interviews are still being watched, through podcasts, political parties can reach another set of audience, adds Mr. Francis.

With varied strategies and an abundance of content, the election battle is getting tight both online and offline, and nobody seems to be lagging.