Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s political fight is getting a new digital twist. With the 2027 Assembly elections still months away, the BJP and Samajwadi Party have already begun trading barbs through AI generated videos and songs, with the latest row involving SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The controversy erupted after Akhilesh showed an AI generated video at a press conference that portrayed Yogi Adityanath smoking a chillum. The video also showed people dressed in saffron clothes allegedly taking money from a temple donation box. The accompanying song took a swipe at the Uttar Pradesh government and accused it of bringing the state to disrepute.
The BJP quickly hit back, accusing Akhilesh and the SP of insulting Hindu saints, Sanatan traditions and the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The BJP’s reaction came after an earlier video aimed at Akhilesh Yadav surfaced online. That video used his nickname “Teepu” and mocked him over what it described as bringing a bad name to Uttar Pradesh.
Akhilesh, while showing the second video, said it had been sent to him and was not made by the Samajwadi Party. His response was that if AI generated songs and videos were going to be used to target him, the SP could also respond in the same language.
The BJP, however, was not willing to let the matter pass. BJP leader and MP Jagdambika Pal questioned the portrayal of Yogi Adityanath as a saint smoking a chillum and said the issue would be answered by voters in the 2027 elections.
The political exchange did not stop there. The Samajwadi Party later posted another version of the video, carrying the message that “Uttar Pradesh is being choked by smoke.”
The episode shows how quickly artificial intelligence is becoming part of political campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. Videos that once required significant production work can now be created and circulated online within a short time, giving political parties and their supporters a powerful new way to attack opponents.
For voters, however, the growing use of AI generated political content also raises a bigger question how much of what appears in campaign videos is real, and how much is digitally created for political effect?
With the BJP and SP preparing for another high stakes battle in Uttar Pradesh, the state’s next political contest may be fought not just through rallies and speeches, but increasingly through viral videos, memes, songs and AI generated imagery.
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