ECI records show BJP paid influencers during Bengal polls, including YouTuber in beef row
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent ₹286.99 crore on the West Bengal Assembly elections, according to expenditure statements filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI). The records, now in the public domain, show that the party's central unit in New Delhi paid ₹55.76 crore to 36 social media personalities between March 15 and May 6.
The payments were listed under 'general party propaganda', the filings indicate. The recipients include YouTubers, vloggers, a radio jockey and actors who produced political and journalistic content during the election period.
Sayak Chakraborty, 31, a Bengali television actor and YouTuber with over 88,000 subscribers on @withlovesayak, received ₹2.5 lakh, the records show. On January 30, 2026, Chakraborty alleged that a waiter at a Park Street restaurant in Kolkata served beef instead of the mutton he had ordered. The altercation was recorded on video. The waiter was arrested for hurting religious sentiments. The TMC has accused Chakraborty of deliberately manufacturing the incident for money. In a social media post, Chakraborty said the restaurant incident was an instant reaction and had no politics. 'Many parties approached me to make content after the incident, but I only agreed to BJP as they supported me during the incident,' he said.
Shamik Adhikary, who runs the YouTube channel @Nonsane with over 3.5 lakh subscribers, was paid ₹13 lakh, according to the records. In February, he uploaded a series called Button criticising the then TMC government over the RG Kar rape and murder case and unemployment, urging voters to use their EVM vote carefully. The series was widely shared, including by BJP leaders. Adhikary was later arrested over allegations of sexual assault. The arrest led to allegations that it was political retribution by the TMC.
Bangladeshi singer Sangit Sarkar received ₹2 lakh, the ECI records show. Sarkar is known for protest songs and lyrics commenting on Bangladesh's freedom struggle and recent civil unrest. With over 2 lakh YouTube subscribers, he has in the past year composed songs on West Bengal politics criticising the TMC government, including Chakri Churi during the teachers' protest, Jolche Bangla on corruption, and Jongir Jom on border security.
Pinakpani Ghosh, a former journalist with a leading Bengali newspaper for over three decades, runs the YouTube channel Pinak Ki Bolche with over 2.4 lakh subscribers. He was paid ₹5.25 lakh during the election. His channel describes its goal as bringing 'truth which matters in public life'. His content mainly analyses politics and social issues, and has been heavily critical of Mamata Banerjee and her party over corruption, law and order, and other issues. He has also made satirical videos on Banerjee's poetry books and Abhishek Banerjee.
Priyanka Sarkar, a former radio jockey known as RJ Priyanka, is listed as receiving ₹15 lakh. She has over 10.4 lakh followers on Instagram. Further details about her content during the election period were not available in the records reviewed.
The ECI expenditure disclosures do not by themselves establish wrongdoing. Political parties are required to report election spending, and payments to influencers fall under publicity and propaganda costs. The controversy raises questions about transparency in political advertising and the role of social media creators in elections. The TMC's allegations and the individual responses, where available, are part of the ongoing political debate in West Bengal.
