We are alarmed by the surge of foreign and domestic disinformation campaigns surrounding the election, which threatens to undermine the integrity of the vote. Online platforms are reportedly being used in a coordinated way to mislead voters, inflame communal tensions, and influence political choices. International researchers and fact-checkers have documented a vast volume of disinformation originating largely from India. At the same time, domestic political actors have flooded social media platforms with false statements, manipulated visuals, AI-generated content, and conspiracy narratives aimed at discrediting rival candidates and influencing voters.
Hundreds of thousands of posts, amplified by Hindu nationalist networks abroad, have promoted the so-called “Hindu genocide” narrative, despite official data showing that only a fraction of incidents involving minorities were sectarian. Unlabelled AI-generated videos and images are being widely used to spread fabricated claims and staged testimonies. Monitoring of Facebook activity by The Daily Star in the weeks before the polls shows that disinformation has become a deliberate campaign tool across party lines. Pro-Jamaat pages dominate both the volume and reach of misleading content, while BNP-aligned actors mainly targeted Jamaat with defamatory claims questioning its leaders’ moral and religious credentials. Awami League-aligned actors focused on the interim government, student coordinators, and Jamaat, exaggerating minority-related incidents and pushing narratives of foreign involvement. Even fake “haha” reactions are widespread on social media, meant to attack political opponents.
Undecided voters are mostly the target of this disinformation, which exploits religion and nationalist sentiment to provoke fear or outrage. Fake quotes, forged documents, and AI-generated visuals portray opponents as criminals or morally corrupt, while real events are often twisted to support partisan stories. In a country where smartphone use is widespread but digital literacy is limited, many voters cannot easily verify such content, allowing disinformation to distort democratic choice.
The Election Commission’s (EC) role in this regard is deeply disappointing. While the EC has acknowledged the threat and says it is working with social media platforms to monitor harmful content, the evidence so far suggests these efforts are falling far short of what is needed.
The EC must enforce the electoral code of conduct without any exception, including penalties for parties and candidates found to be orchestrating or benefiting from disinformation campaigns. Greater transparency about monitoring mechanisms and enforcement outcomes is essential to restore public confidence. Political parties, meanwhile, must be held accountable for the conduct of their affiliated pages and supporters. This election carries enormous significance for our democratic future, and ensuring that voters can make informed choices is essential for a credible vote.
