Assembly Polls: Haryana leads ad spends, J&K gains ground
Leading the charge among top spenders is Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, who invested Rs 27.6 lakh on 814 ads
As assembly polls approach in Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana, digital ad spending has been surging, with Haryana leading the way. The state spent Rs 2.11 crore on political ads between August 8 and September 6, 2024, according to Meta's Ad Library.
In the past 30 days, Haryana has recorded the second-highest digital political ad spending on ads related to social issues, elections, or politics.
Leading the charge among top spenders is Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, who invested Rs 27.6 lakh on 814 ads.
Beyond political parties and candidates, allied pages are also ramping up their digital presence. Notable spenders from Haryana include Desa Mai Des Haryana, which spent Rs 18 lakh, and Indian National Congress - Haryana, with Rs 10 lakh.
J&K catching up fast
The nature of these states plays a pivotal role in shaping the political strategies, said experts.
“While J&K faces limitations in social media access, especially in the Valley, Haryana has a much larger urban population and higher internet penetration. This has resulted in significantly more digital chatter and engagement in Haryana, with political messages reaching a broader audience through various digital platforms, making it a key battleground for both parties,” said Mumbai-based poll and communication strategist Tushar Panchal, founder of WarRoom Strategies.
Shradha Agarwal, co-founder and global CEO- Grapes agreed with Panchal.
According to her, though the digital landscape of J&K might not be as evolved as other states, post the revocation of Article 370, the government has made great strides to empower the citizens of the union territory digitally.
“The various initiatives by the government such as ‘Digi Dost’ program, AapKi Zameen Aapki Nigrani,’ special camps at Tehsil and Block level offices to drive the digital literacy of the masses, etc. has improved the digital penetration into the region significantly. Therefore, with the citizens becoming digitally empowered and consuming a lot of digital content, we are anticipating a generous budget will be allocated to digital ads for the assembly polls for both the places,” Agarwal said.
Infact, on Meta, Jammu and Kashmir was third on the list of states with the highest spends in the last 30 days’ period when it came to political ads.
