The Chandrababu Naidu-led Telugu Desam Party and the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) accounted for nearly 70% of the amount spent by political parties for advertisements on Google and its platforms since February 19, says a report by the U.S.-based technology giant.
In all, the parties and candidates spent a total of ₹3.76 crore for 831 political ads, according to Google’s India Transparency Report for elections ads. While the TDP topped the list of spenders at over ₹1.48 crore for 89 ads, the BJP spent in excess of ₹1.21 crore for 554 ads during the 45-day period. On the other hand, the Indian National Congress, the main Opposition party, spent ₹54,100 for 14 ads.
Aiming at transparency
“Our goal is to provide greater transparency in political advertising on Google, YouTube, and partner properties. This report includes information about the Lok Sabha election ads that feature or are run by a political party, a political candidate, or a current member of the Lok Sabha,” it said.
The BJP was followed by Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party with spends of more than ₹1.04 crore for 107 ads.
The next big spenders were Pramanya Strategy Consulting Pvt Ltd (53 ads) and Digitant Consulting Pvt Ltd (36 ads) at over ₹85.25 lakh and ₹63.43 lakh, respectively. Both these firms ran advertisements for the TDP.
