As Delhi’s assembly election campaign reaches its final stretch, political parties are waging a high-stakes battle not just on the streets but in the digital arena.
With AI-generated videos, deepfake-fueled attacks, and viral memes flooding social media, the fight for voter attention has entered uncharted territory.
The BJP is pushing to reclaim power after decades, AAP is banking on its welfare-driven governance to retain control, and Congress is striving for a long-awaited comeback. But in 2025, the fiercest contest isn’t just at rallies—it’s playing out in algorithm-driven war rooms where artificial intelligence is reshaping electioneering.
AAP’s Viral AI Spoofs
AAP led the charge in using AI-generated content, stirring controversy with a series of deepfake videos targeting BJP leaders. Last month, the party faced an FIR after sharing deepfake clips on its official X handle.
These deepfake videos altered the faces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, replacing their features with classic Bollywood villains in iconic 90s scenes. The dialogues were modified to humorously reference the upcoming Delhi elections, adding fuel to the political fire.
In response to the move, the Election Commission stepped in, advising clear labeling of AI-generated content to combat misinformation.
Later, AAP launched a new series of AI-driven spoofs, titled 'BJP’s Got Latent', a playful parody of the popular comedy show 'India’s Got Talent'. In these AI-edited clips, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal’s face is swapped with comedian Samay Raina’s, and BJP candidates are depicted as contestants.
One episode targeted BJP’s New Delhi candidate Parvesh Verma, dubbing him “Kalesh Verma” over his alleged controversial history. Another episode mocked Kalkaji candidate Ramesh Bidhuri, calling him “Ramesh Gaalibaaz”.
AAP further leaned into AI with deepfake videos inserting BJP faces into scenes from Squid Game and Bollywood films like Delhi Belly. The parody in Delhi Belly was a direct dig at the BJP, dismissing the party’s election promises as “shit”.
Additionally, AAP launched a Harry Potter-themed video, Phir Layenge Kejriwal, positioning Kejriwal as the protector of Delhi’s schools, with a dramatic nod to BJP leaders as "Death Eaters".
BJP’s Counterattack: AI Parodies and Bollywood Classics
Not to be outdone, the BJP also embraced AI for its own viral spoofs, mocking AAP with Bollywood-inspired content. One video reimagined the iconic Deewar scene, replacing Amitabh Bachchan’s face with Kejriwal’s and tweaking the famous dialogue to say, "Aaj mere paas Sheesh Mahal hai, sharab ghotale ka paisa hai... tumhare paas kya hai?" (Today, I have Sheesh Mahal, money from liquor scams... what do you have?).
The response, originally from Shashi Kapoor, was swapped with “Mere paas BJP ki guarantee hai...” (I have BJP’s guarantee).
Another AI-generated video parodied the film Deewane Huye Paagal, casting Kejriwal as the “Maha Thug” (master conman), mocking his alleged corruption and governance failures.
BJP also launched Delhi’s Got Latent, a satirical animated series where AAP leaders like Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia appeared as contestants, poking fun at their political decisions.
In the same spirit of upmanship, both parties had shared deepfake videos from the Amazon Prime web series Panchayat, marked as spoofs, to take jabs at each other ahead of the elections.
BJP’s X handle posted a manipulated scene from Panchayat, accusing AAP of running fraudulent data collection schemes under the guise of welfare programmes like Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana.
AAP retaliated with its own deepfake clip from the same series, using it to highlight its free welfare schemes.
AI- Generated Misinformation and Manipulated Content
AI in the Delhi election was not just a tool for humour—it also became a weapon for misinformation. BOOM debunked two AI-generated fake claims that were circulated widely during the campaign.
One of the most prominent instances involved AAP sharing a deepfake video claiming to show the luxurious new residence of Prime Minister Modi as part of the Central Vista project.
The video depicted a palace-like building, but BOOM, with the help of the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), determined that the footage was entirely AI-generated. Upon closer inspection, glaring inconsistencies—unnatural water flow, odd reflections, and hyper-realistically polished shoes—revealed the video’s synthetic origins.
The AI tools used were traced back to platforms like OpenAI’s Sora, confirming the manipulation.
In another instance, AAP shared a heavily altered video of Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi, falsely claiming he was campaigning against the BJP.
The video was a doctored version of an NPCI public service ad where Tripathi had warned against financial fraud. AI-generated audio had been overlaid to make it seem as if Tripathi was attacking the BJP.
BOOM’s investigation, aided by reverse image searches and AI detection tools, confirmed the video’s manipulation, revealing the original ad and its non-political context.
