TMC Alleges BJP Paid Influencers and Singer in West Bengal Poll Campaign
Ahead of the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of spending over Rs 286 crore, including payments to YouTubers and social media influencers like Sayak Chakraborty and Shamik Adhikari, to promote narratives favoring the BJP. The TMC highlighted incidents involving these creators, such as a controversy at Kolkata's Oly Pub and politically charged videos. The BJP's expenditure statements confirm these payments, though direct links to coordinated campaigns remain unproven. The TMC also questioned payments to Bangladeshi singer Sangeet Sarkar.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. Coverage leans balanced overall (Left 29%, Centre 71%, Right 0%). Overall sentiment is negative (33/100). Lens Score 54/100.
Outlets measured: thehindu, indiatoday. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
All 2 outlets scored close to centre on political lean. The real divergence here is in emphasis, not lean — compare the headlines below to see how each outlet chose to frame the same facts.
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (28–38/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
indiatoday broke this story on 25 Sept, 02:57 pm. Other outlets followed.