In the lead up to the General Elections 2024, commonly known as Lok Sabha Polls 2024, which is scheduled to kickstart its first phase on April 19, political parties have amped up their spending on digital advertisements, across formats- video, image and text.

So much so, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the current ruling political party in the country and the biggest spender on digital media this political season, has spent a total Rs 47,13,51,250 towards advertisements on Google Ads, followed by Indian National Congress (INC) who spent Rs 11,85,61,250 on the same during the period between January 1 and April 17, as per Google Ads Transparency Centre.

Other political parties like Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), have also spent big on Google Ads this time around.

While YSRCP has allocated Rs 3,29,33,500 on Google Ads from January 1 to April 17, BJD has spent a total of Rs 2,62,24,500, followed by TDP which allocated Rs 1,37,76,000 and AIADMK which spent Rs 20,750 on the platform this political frenzy.

As per reports, BJP has chosen a mix of ad agencies including Prasoon Joshi-led McCann Worldgroup, Manish Bhatt-led Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and more to handle its creative duties and Sam Balsara-led Madison Media to manage its media duties.

On the other hand, DDB Mudra has been tasked with managing the creative duties for Indian National Congress alongside IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative India which is managing the media duties of the political party.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

Between January 1 and April 17, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spent Rs 47,13,51,250 on Google ads for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They ran 1,10,681 ads during this time, according to data from the Google Ads Transparency Centre.

In the lead-up to the general elections, political parties have been spending on advertising campaigns. The BJP led the spending, with the highest expenditure in Uttar Pradesh, totaling Rs 41 million, between January 1 and April 17.

Following Uttar Pradesh, the BJP spent Rs 40.2 million in Tamil Nadu and Rs 35.6 million in Rajasthan. In Delhi, the BJP’s spending amounted to Rs 23.7 million. However, in regions like Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, the BJP’s spending was notably lower, at Rs 9,250, Rs 51,800, and Rs 65,800 respectively.

According to the ad formats data by Google Ads Transparency Centre, during this period, the national party spent a total of Rs 471 million on ads during this period. Of this amount, Rs 351 million, which is 74.4%, was allocated to video ads, while Rs 121 million, or 25.6%, was spent on image-based ads.

The spending from BJP started increasing in February this year. In early March, it slowed down a bit, then surged towards the end of March. It dipped again at the start of April.

Indian National Congress (INC)

Data from the Google Ads Transparency Centre shows that the Indian National Congress (INC) spent Rs 11,85,61,250 on Google ads from January 1 to April 17. They put up 2,524 ads during this period.

The political party put the most money into ads in Maharashtra, spending Rs 29.2 million. After that, INC spent Rs 16 million in Bihar and Rs 15.6 million in Rajasthan. The party spent Rs 4.83 million in Delhi. However, their spending was much lower in some places like Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, where they spent only Rs 3,500, Rs 7,000, and Rs 13,800 respectively.

According to the ad formats data by Google Ads Transparency Center, INC spent a total of Rs 119 million on advertisements for the Lok Sabha election. Out of this amount, Rs 92.3 million, which is 77.9%, was spent on video ads, and Rs 26.2 million, which is 22.1%, was spent on image ads. As we observe the spending trend, INC began spending more from the end of March and reached its highest point in early April.

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP)

Between January 1 and April 17, the YSRCP spent Rs 3,29,33,500 on Google ads for the Lok Sabha elections. During this time, they ran 299 ads.

In some regions the political party spent minimal amounts on ads. Specifically, they spent Rs 250 in Lakshadweep, Rs 500 in Manipur, and Rs 1,000 in Uttarakhand. However, in Andhra Pradesh, where the party is in power, the YSRCP spent Rs 32 million on ads followed by Telangana where they spent Rs 7,19,000 on ads, according to Google Ads Transparency Centre.

According to the ad formats data, the party’s total of Rs 32.9 million on ads, 100% of the amount went towards video ads.

Analyzing the spending trend by Google’s ads center, it was observed the party’s spending began to increase from the beginning of March. It stayed low until mid-March and then gradually picked up again, reaching its highest point in mid-April.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD)

The political party spent a total of Rs 2,62,24,500 on ads and ran 276 ads from January 1 to April 17. The ruling party of Odisha spent the most, which is Rs 26.2 million, followed by West Bengal at Rs 19,500. The lowest spend by parties includes Ladakh at Rs 250, Gujarat at Rs 500, and Karnataka at Rs 750.

According to data from Google ads center, out of the total amount, BJD spent Rs 25.6 million, which is 97.6%, on video ads, while Rs 6,39,000, which is 2.44%, was spent on image-based ads.

The party began spending in early February, then slowed down for a bit. But by early March, their spending increased significantly, reaching its peak in mid-March. After that, it remained muted again before picking up slightly in April.

Telugu Desam Party (TDP)

The Google Ads Transparency Center showed that the TDP spent a total of Rs 1,37,76,000 on 205 ads from January 1 to April 17.

The political party spent the most in Telangana, with Rs 6.37 million, and then in Andhra Pradesh with Rs 5.76 million. In states such as Uttarakhand, Puducherry, and Arunachal Pradesh, the spending was much lower, at Rs 4,000, Rs 3,000, and Rs 250 respectively.

Out of the total Rs 13.8 million spent on ads by the party, Rs 13 million, which is 94.4%, went for video ads. The remaining Rs 7,65,000, which is 5.56%, was used for image-based ads.

The party began spending money on ads around mid-February. They didn’t spend much in March and April but started spending a lot more in mid-April.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)

As per Google Ads Transparency Centre, AIADMK spent Rs 20,750 on political ads from January 1 to April 17, running a total of 45 ads. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the party spent the most, with Rs 2,250 each for the state. Meanwhile, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, and even Maharashtra saw lower spending at Rs 250, Rs 250, and Rs 750, respectively.

All of their ad spending, 100% of it, went towards image-based ads. In total, they spent Rs 20,800 on ads. Most of this spending happened in April.