Assembly Elections 2026: Publicity, Power And The Polls

No stone has to be left unturned; the logic of electoral politics is on full display in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which go to the polls next month. Though the political parties are awaiting the announcement of election dates, those in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are already in full swing. The candidate lists of various political parties are being readied for release along with the Election Commission’s poll declaration, or just ahead of it.  While the parties that lead the government – the DMK in Tamil Nadu and the CPI (M) in Kerala - use all the power at their disposal to unleash a publicity blitz, the opposition, especially Congress and the BJP, are using their advantageous positions elsewhere in the country to leverage the campaign.

 Last week’s advertisements by the Government of Telangana in leading Malayalam dailies highlighted the achievements of the A. Revanth Reddy government. Malayala Manorama and Mathrubhumi — the two leading Malayalam newspapers — carried jacket advertisements for two consecutive days showcasing the Telangana government’s welfare initiatives.

The prominent advertisements did not go unnoticed in Kerala’s politically charged atmosphere. With no particular occasion attached to them, the publicity campaign appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly, raising questions in political circles.

The CPIM  viewed the move as part of a larger attempt to influence the media ahead of the Assembly election. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a sharp attack on the Telangana government, accusing it of conducting a public relations exercise in Kerala while pursuing what he called a “demolition raj” in parts of Telangana. He was referring to demolition drives carried out in the Khammam district.

“The Congress, which inundates Malayalam newspapers with extravagant advertisements, is pursuing anti-people policies,” he said.

CPM-aligned social media groups also criticised the campaign, arguing that crores of rupees were required for such jacket advertisements and alleging that the effort was aimed at influencing sections of the Malayalam media.

The advertisements also triggered a political storm in Telangana. The main opposition party, the BRS, came down heavily on the government led by A. Revanth Reddy for placing advertisements in Malayalam newspapers.

Senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao questioned the move, pointing out that the government had repeatedly cited financial constraints. “At a time when the government speaks about severe financial difficulties, it has not hesitated to spend crores of rupees on advertisements in Malayalam dailies,” he said.

He alleged that the advertisements not only projected a misleading picture of the state but were also being funded at the expense of taxpayers. “The government is effectively financing a political campaign in Kerala using public money,” he charged.

Leaders of the BJP also criticised what they described as the Revanth Reddy government's diversion of State funds for political publicity outside Telangana.

Media observers, however, see the advertisements as a more subtle political signal directed at Malayali voters. By highlighting welfare initiatives — including housing schemes and other social programmes — the campaign sought to project the Congress government’s governance model. Critics argue that the publicity amounted to surrogate campaigning in Kerala, allegedly funded by taxpayers’ money.

However, even as the CPI M questioned the Telangana advertisements as an attempt to use taxpayers’ money for political messaging, the Kerala government soon found itself facing similar criticism. The State’s Public Relations Department released a full-page advertisement in some national dailies highlighting the achievements of the Pinarayi Vijayan government while also taking a swipe at the previous administration led by Congress.

“This goes against the norms governing the Public Relations Department. The government is using the department to campaign for the party,” said Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan.

Opposition parties pointed to court orders that, they argue, restrict governments from using official publicity machinery as a political tool. They contend that such advertisements blur the line between governance communication and political campaigning.

Meanwhile, the Government of India, featuring Narendra Modi has also been placing targeted advertisements in Malayalam and Tamil newspapers, adding another layer to the publicity battle unfolding in the run-up to the elections.

While opposition parties in Kerala allege that these practices violate the principles governing government publicity, officials in the State’s information machinery reject the charge. One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was no violation of the prescribed rules and maintained that highlighting government achievements and factual information falls within the Public Relations Department's legitimate mandate.  Senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan alleged that the Public Relations Department’s advertisement mocking the previous government violated guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of India in a judgment delivered during the tenure of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.

“The government officials who have hobnobbed with the ruling party to mock the previous government will have to face the consequences,” he said.

The controversy has also revived a broader debate on the logic of governments spending crores of rupees on newspaper advertisements in the digital era.

According to media critic and former Member of Parliament Dr Sebastian Paul, such publicity exercises have long been part of government communication strategies. “The Public Relations Department has always promoted the government. As elections approach, this publicity gains momentum. That has been the pattern,” he said.

“At a time when the newspaper industry is facing a decline, such advertisements may even be seen as an economic boost for the media. But how far these rather redundant propaganda methods actually influence voters is another question. I do not think they have much direct impact on people. However, if the intention is to influence newspapers themselves, that is a different matter altogether,” he added.

As the elections draw closer, political parties are unwilling to leave any stone unturned in their campaign strategies. While major parties have built a strong presence on social media platforms to reach younger voters, they are equally reluctant to abandon conventional media. Despite the growing dominance of digital outreach, newspapers and traditional publicity channels continue to play an important role in shaping the political narrative during election season.