Ahead of the Bihar assembly election, the RJD has incorporated artificial intelligence (AI)-generated videos and audio to step up its social media campaign.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the poll-bound state last month. Just after his visit, RJD chief Lalu Yadav released a ‘Bihar AI’ parody video.
The video depicted lookalikes of PM Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dancing in the rain amid thunderstorms against the backdrop of a collapsed bridge. The video, which was created using artificial intelligence software and genuine footage from PM Modi's public events, was accompanied by a song which mentioned the words “jumlo ki baarish”. This line has been used time and again by the Opposition to criticize PM Modi and the BJP.
In the same video, the RJD also used clips of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav helping an old woman with lifting a heavy basket.
"Weather warning in the interest of Bihar - today, there will be heavy rain of lies, false promises and illusions in Bihar, hailstones of false and tempting promises along with thunder, be careful," Lalu Yadav wrote in Hindi in the post on X.
Why is RJD using AI in poll campaigns?
Tejashwi Yadav had recently mocked the BJP-led NDA government in Bihar, asserting that time has come to change the two-decade-old dispensation, much like 15-year-old vehicles are banned in the state for spreading pollution. Soon his team turned it into a slogan with an AI-rendered cartoon illustrating an old sputtering car (tagged “20 Years of Nitish”) being overtaken by a shiny new vehicle.
The party’s X handle also recently posted a graphic proclaiming in Hindi, “Sabse nyara, sabka pyara, Tejashwi hamara” (our Tejashwi, unique leader, beloved by all), superimposed on the AI image of Tejashwi.
All these initiatives indicate how the RJD is consciously trying to woo voters who use smartphones and are social media users. Lalu Prasad’s RJD, out of power in Bihar for two decades since 2005, barring coalitions with Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) in 2015-17 and 2022-24, is trying hard.
According to government data, the number of mobile phone users in Bihar increased to 6.21crore in August 2020. Also, according to a report released by the EC in January this year , the maximum increase in the number of voters was noticed in the 30-39 and 40-49 age groups, indicating how the young population has become aware of their voting rights.
“Now every household has Android phones. Every youth, man or woman, is watching videos. So through AI videos we are trying to take our ideology, thoughts and promises to more people,” RJD spokesperson Subodh Kumar Mehta told Indian Express.
Reviving Lalu magic
According to a report by Indian Express, the RJD team is repackaging vintage Lalu jokes using AI. The RJD is using old clips of Lalu’s quips and using machine-learning tools to enhance its audio and video qualities.
The RJD has also launched the “Tejashwi Digital Force”, a tech-savvy volunteer network to distribute campaign content and counter “misinformation”.
Countering RJD
The BJP’s X handle also posted an AI-generated video song titled “Gangs of Ghotalaabaz”. It featured the Lalu family as the “kingpin of scams”.
Meanwhile, the JD(U) adapted the digital outreach during the 2020 assembly election. Amid Covid-19, the party ran innovative virtual rallies and WhatsApp campaigns. Nitish’s team even collaborated with over 300 online local influencers in a campaign called “Naya Bihar, Nayi Soch” (new Bihar, new thinking).
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