BJP payments to Bengal influencers revealed in election filings
Election Commission expenditure statements show that India’s Bharatiya Janata Party paid ₹55.76 crore to 36 social media personalities during the West Bengal Assembly election period, according to an analysis reported by The Hindu. The payments have prompted rival allegations and a defence from the BJP that they were lawful.
The Bharatiya Janata Party paid a total of ₹55.76 crore to 36 social media personalities during the campaign for the West Bengal Assembly elections, according to an analysis of expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission. The payments were made by the party’s central unit between March 15 and May 6, while the BJP reported total election expenditure of ₹286.99 crore. Several recipients produced journalistic or political content before the polls.
Among those listed was actor and YouTuber Sayak Chakraborty, who received ₹2.5 lakh for content described as general party propaganda. Chakraborty had earlier become involved in a controversy at a Kolkata restaurant after alleging that a beef dish had been served instead of mutton. He said the incident was not political and that he accepted BJP work because the party supported him.
Other listed recipients included vlogger Nonsane, singer Sangit Sarkar, former journalist Pinakpani Ghosh and radio personality Priyanka Sarkar. The reported payments ranged from ₹2 lakh to ₹15 lakh. Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of manufacturing religious polarisation through paid online content.
BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar acknowledged the payments and said the party had acted within the rules.
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