Why hire Bangladeshi singer? Mamata camp targets BJP's poll campaign in Bengal

Mamata Trinamool Congress' national spokesperson Nilanjan Das has targeted the Bhartiya Janata Party over payments made to social media content creators and a singer during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election campaign, questioning the party’s expenditure and the nature of content promoted during the polls.

In a series of posts on X, Das cited election expenditure records to claim that the BJP paid content creators Sayak Chakraborty and Shamik Adhikari, popularly known as i, for election-related work. (Credits: X/Nilanjan Das)

According to the figures cited by the TMC, around Rs 2.5 lakh was paid to Chakraborty, while Adhikari received around Rs 13 lakh.

The payments were also reported in the BJP’s election expenditure statements submitted to the Election Commission. (Credits: Election Commission of India)

Das questioned whether the payments were connected to content that promoted narratives favourable to the BJP ahead of the Assembly election.

The TMC spokesperson referred to videos produced by the two creators before the polls, including Adhikari’s Button video and Chakraborty’s controversial visit to Kolkata’s Oly Pub.

The Button video dealt with Bengal’s political climate and women’s safety and subsequently gained attention on social media. Chakraborty, meanwhile, had sparked controversy in January after claiming that he was served beef instead of mutton at Oly Pub.

A waiter was arrested following his complaint, which he later withdrew after the restaurant apologised.

The TMC has questioned whether these episodes were connected to the BJP’s campaign. However, the payment records alone do not establish that either video was created as part of a coordinated propaganda campaign.TMC FLAGS PAYMENT TO SANGEET SARKAR

In another post on X, Das questioned the BJP’s payment to Bangladeshi singer Sangeet Sarkar, who is known for protest songs and has been associated in public discourse with content linked to Bangladesh’s Awami League.

According to the details cited by Das from the Election Commission expenditure records, Sarkar was paid around Rs 2 lakh by the BJP for election-related campaign work in West Bengal during the March-May 2026 election period.

Das used the payment to question what he described as a contradiction in the BJP’s political messaging on Bangladeshi nationals.

The TMC spokesperson pointed to the BJP’s frequent criticism of people it describes as “Bangladeshi” or “Rohingya” in West Bengal and questioned the party’s decision to engage a Bangladeshi singer for campaign-related work. (Credits: X/Nilanjan Das)

The claims about Sarkar’s political associations and the purpose of his engagement were raised by Das in his social media posts. The expenditure record establishes the payment cited by the TMC, but does not by itself establish the political character of Sarkar’s songs or his views.BJP, TMC SPENT CRORES ON DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS

The posts come against the backdrop of significant expenditure on digital campaigning during the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election.

An investigation by The Indian Express into election expenditure across five states and a Union Territory found that the BJP spent Rs 529.38 crore across the elections, with West Bengal accounting for Rs 286.99 crore.

In West Bengal, the BJP spent around Rs 12.7 crore on 10,690 advertisements on Google and around Rs 6.5 crore on 2,735 advertisements on Meta, according to the expenditure data cited in the report.

The TMC spent around Rs 1.8 crore on 1,090 Meta advertisements, while its expenditure on Google advertising was substantially lower.

The expenditure data highlights the increasing role of digital platforms, social media creators and online advertising in election campaigns.BJP SAYS EXPENDITURE WAS DISCLOSED

The BJP has rejected the suggestion that payments to content creators indicate any wrongdoing. BJP leader Sayantan Basu said political parties routinely engage advertising agencies and other professionals during elections and that the party disclosed its expenditure through banking channels to the Election Commission.

The payments cited by Das were part of the BJP’s election expenditure disclosures, but the records do not by themselves establish that the creators were instructed to produce specific political narratives.

Das’s posts have nevertheless sought to draw a connection between the payments and content published by the creators before the election, while also questioning the BJP’s decision to engage Sangeet Sarkar.

The episode highlights the growing importance of digital creators and online advertising in election campaigns and the challenges involved in determining the full nature and reach of political messaging across social media platforms.- Ends