As Tamil Nadu heads to polls on April 23, the election campaign is finding a new soundtrack — catchy, hyperlocal, AI-generated songs designed to stick in voters’ minds long after the rally ends. From Coimbatore to the Cauvery delta, candidates are trying to strike the right chord with the electorate through customised campaign tunes, with more than 30 songs produced during the nomination phase alone. And this is no low-budget side act. Parties and candidates are willing to spend anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 a song to sharpen their outreach.The playbook has moved well beyond wall posters and van announcements. Political parties are now blending music, AI and social media algorithms to create a more targeted campaign push, especially on Instagram and Facebook, where advertisements are being fine-tuned to budgets and voter demographics through Meta ads.At the centre of this concoction of music and politics is a growing ecosystem of AI creators. R Loganathan, creative head of Ninth Direction, says he alone has delivered more than 30 AIgenerated songs for 15 candidates, including several in Coimbatore. “Unlike in previous elections, AI is now being used for better public outreach, especially through AI-generated campaign songs,” he told TOI . “There is equal demand from DMK and ADMK candidates, along with some from DMK alliance parties such as Congress and the Left.”His client list stretches across party lines and geographies — from DMK and ADMK candidates in Tirupur, Coimbatore and the delta to DMK alliance candidates in the southern districts. Loganathan says his journalism background is helping him craft better lyrics tailored to individual candidates. “I have even received requests from former ministers for song packages ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. Depending on the package chosen, we provide a song to a candidate in different tunes.”But the digital push does not stop at songs. Campaigns are also going global. Sources say DMK’s IT wing is running an intensive social media operation from the UAE, targeting audiences overseas and making use of platforms such as TikTok, which remains banned in India but is active in many Gulf countries. A Dubaibased social media manager confirmed the scale of that effort, saying the DMK’s IT machinery is stronger there than that of rival parties. “To connect with the Tamil audience here, they use extensive SEO strategies,” he said. “TikTok is banned in India, but it is active in many other countries, including the Gulf, allowing them to share Tamil Nadu content and reach the Tamil population abroad.”Back home, campaign professionals say the real transformation came during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the use of Meta ads and algorithm-driven targeting surged. A popular YouTuber, now working as a freelance social media manager for DMK, said this strategy has since become central to every major party’s IT wing.“Meta ads help target demographics and interests, while paid search engine optimisation helps candidates connect better with elite and younger audiences,” he said. “For Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, it is easier because they are already using songs that are trending. But candidates who are new to social media or less active online have to rely heavily on paid promotions, and the algorithms are designed to deliver ads to the target audience in specific locations.”But in the digital campaign space, visibility has a high price tag. The more a candidate spends, the more frequently they appear on voters’ screens, the YouTuber added. “While there is an official cap on poll expenditure for each candidate, many exceed their budgets through third-party services that go unreported.”NOT VIJAY, IT’S VIJ-AIHe waved, held a mic, and seemed to talk to the crowd. As a campaign vehicle of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam rolled through Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, for a few seconds, many in the audience believed the party chief, Vijay, had actually turned up in person. Phones went up, heads turned, and the excitement spread quickly. But the crowdpulling spectacle was actually a tech trick : an AI-powered holographic projection of the actor-turned-politician, mounted on the vehicle, with synced speech, realistic gestures and a strikingly lifelike presence that quickly went viral online. And the idea is catching on. Companies behind the technology say candidates from across parties are now making inquiries, with some even seeking holographic recreations of political icons such as M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.Hologram campaigning itself is not new — PM Modi used it in the 2014 general election — but the latest version comes with an AI boost. Better lip-sync, smoother body movement, and easier portability are making these projections far more immersive, even in smaller towns and rural pockets. The Kumbakonam show was reportedly pulled off by a team of just six, including young engineers, using 3D hologram fan display systems for sharper, more dynamic visuals than traditional projectors. However, priced at about Rs 50,000 a day, the tech is not cheap.About the AuthorAnushka JulietAnushka Juliet covers urban development, civic issues, infrastructure projects and local community news in Coimbatore.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosChhattisgarh: 10 Killed, 23 Injured As Boiler Explodes At Vedanta Power PlantSamrat Chaudhary Becomes Bihar CM: A Political Journey Marked by Setbacks and ReinventionIran Expresses Confidence In India’s BRICS Presidency Amid West Asia ConflictPM Modi, Donald Trump Hold 40-Min Phone Call, Discuss Strait Of Hormuz, West Asia SituationPak Enters Noida? 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As Tamil Nadu heads to polls on April 23, the election campaign is finding a new soundtrack — catchy, hyperlocal, AI-generated songs designed to stick in voters’ minds long after the rally ends. From Coimbatore to the Cauvery delta, candidates are trying to strike the right chord with the electorate through customised campaign tunes, with more than 30 songs produced during the nomination phase alone. And this is no low-budget side act. Parties and candidates are willing to spend anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 a song to sharpen their outreach.The playbook has moved well beyond wall posters and van announcements. Political parties are now blending music, AI and social media algorithms to create a more targeted campaign push, especially on Instagram and Facebook, where advertisements are being fine-tuned to budgets and voter demographics through Meta ads.At the centre of this concoction of music and politics is a growing ecosystem of AI creators. R Loganathan, creative head of Ninth Direction, says he alone has delivered more than 30 AIgenerated songs for 15 candidates, including several in Coimbatore. “Unlike in previous elections, AI is now being used for better public outreach, especially through AI-generated campaign songs,” he told TOI . “There is equal demand from DMK and ADMK candidates, along with some from DMK alliance parties such as Congress and the Left.”His client list stretches across party lines and geographies — from DMK and ADMK candidates in Tirupur, Coimbatore and the delta to DMK alliance candidates in the southern districts. Loganathan says his journalism background is helping him craft better lyrics tailored to individual candidates. “I have even received requests from former ministers for song packages ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000. Depending on the package chosen, we provide a song to a candidate in different tunes.”But the digital push does not stop at songs. Campaigns are also going global. Sources say DMK’s IT wing is running an intensive social media operation from the UAE, targeting audiences overseas and making use of platforms such as TikTok, which remains banned in India but is active in many Gulf countries. A Dubaibased social media manager confirmed the scale of that effort, saying the DMK’s IT machinery is stronger there than that of rival parties. “To connect with the Tamil audience here, they use extensive SEO strategies,” he said. “TikTok is banned in India, but it is active in many other countries, including the Gulf, allowing them to share Tamil Nadu content and reach the Tamil population abroad.”Back home, campaign professionals say the real transformation came during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the use of Meta ads and algorithm-driven targeting surged. A popular YouTuber, now working as a freelance social media manager for DMK, said this strategy has since become central to every major party’s IT wing.“Meta ads help target demographics and interests, while paid search engine optimisation helps candidates connect better with elite and younger audiences,” he said. “For Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, it is easier because they are already using songs that are trending. But candidates who are new to social media or less active online have to rely heavily on paid promotions, and the algorithms are designed to deliver ads to the target audience in specific locations.”But in the digital campaign space, visibility has a high price tag. The more a candidate spends, the more frequently they appear on voters’ screens, the YouTuber added. “While there is an official cap on poll expenditure for each candidate, many exceed their budgets through third-party services that go unreported.”
| NOT VIJAY, IT’S VIJ-AI
He waved, held a mic, and seemed to talk to the crowd. As a campaign vehicle of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam rolled through Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, for a few seconds, many in the audience believed the party chief, Vijay, had actually turned up in person. Phones went up, heads turned, and the excitement spread quickly. But the crowdpulling spectacle was actually a tech trick : an AI-powered holographic projection of the actor-turned-politician, mounted on the vehicle, with synced speech, realistic gestures and a strikingly lifelike presence that quickly went viral online. And the idea is catching on. Companies behind the technology say candidates from across parties are now making inquiries, with some even seeking holographic recreations of political icons such as M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. Hologram campaigning itself is not new — PM Modi used it in the 2014 general election — but the latest version comes with an AI boost. Better lip-sync, smoother body movement, and easier portability are making these projections far more immersive, even in smaller towns and rural pockets. The Kumbakonam show was reportedly pulled off by a team of just six, including young engineers, using 3D hologram fan display systems for sharper, more dynamic visuals than traditional projectors. However, priced at about Rs 50,000 a day, the tech is not cheap. |
