Maharashtra civic polls see ₹55 crore digital ad spend on Meta, Google
Based on the average daily spend disclosed so far on Meta and Google platforms, political advertising outlays could add another ₹15-20 crore between January 11 and January 14, assuming the current run-rate continues.
ADVERTISEMENT
As Maharashtra’s civic elections unfold across 29 municipal corporations, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), political parties are sharply ramping up digital advertising spends, underscoring how online platforms have become central to last-mile voter outreach in urban India.
Disclosures from Meta’s Ad Library and Google’s political advertising transparency reports show that, between mid-December 2025 and early January 2026, political parties and affiliated advertisers have spent approximately ₹55.5 crore on Facebook, Instagram, Google Search and YouTube to reach voters in Maharashtra.
Election Commission of India announced dates of civic elections across Maharashtra on 15 December 2025 with polling to be held on 15 January and results to be announced on 16 January. Based on the average daily spend disclosed so far on Meta and Google platforms, political advertising outlays could add another ₹15-20 crore between January 11 and January 14, assuming the current run-rate continues.
Google ads: BJP and allies lead
On Google platforms — including Search and YouTube — BJP and entities advertising largely pro-BJP content again led spending.
Google’s transparency reports show:
BJP spent ₹7.05 crore between December 15, 2025 and January 11, 2026. Dreamworth Solutions, which posted political ads largely aligned with BJP messaging, spent ₹4.31 crore. Greenshoots Multimedia Pvt Ltd, another agency promoting BJP-related content, spent ₹7.38 lakh This takes BJP and BJP-aligned Google advertising in Maharashtra to roughly ₹11.1 crore during the period.
Maharashtra State allies of BJP: NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), via Designboxed Innovations, spent ₹1.53 crore. Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), through Inuxu Digital Media Technologies, spent ₹1.37 crore.
While Shiv Sena (UBT) ads placed by Sourav Gandotra amounted to ₹2.46 crore.
Total political advertising on Google platforms linked to Maharashtra civic polls thus reached about ₹17 crore in less than a month.
Meta platforms: BJP dominates early spend
On Meta-owned platforms Facebook and Instagram, BJP’s Maharashtra unit accounted for the overwhelming share of spending during the period from December 10, 2025 to January 8, 2026.
According to Meta’s ad library: BJP Maharashtra spent ₹36.15 crore while a BJP-linked page, DevGatha, which promoted Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, spent ₹12.98 lakh. BJP Mumbai, carrying an official party disclaimer, spent ₹2.55 lakh.
Taken together, BJP-linked spending on Meta platforms in Maharashtra stood at approximately ₹37.7 crore during the period. By comparison, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) reported a relatively modest Meta spend of ₹3.1 lakh over the same window.
Campaign strategists say video continues to absorb the bulk of budgets, driven by higher engagement on YouTube, Instagram Reels and short-form feeds. “Video delivers visibility and recall at scale, particularly in dense urban markets like Mumbai, Thane and Pune,” said a digital political consultant tracking the elections.
Overall digital spends cross ₹56 crore — with more to come
Combining Meta and Google disclosures, total reported digital advertising spends related to Maharashtra’s local body elections have already touched approximately ₹56–57 crore.
Industry experts caution that this figure is likely to rise sharply. “With polling scheduled for January 15 and results on January 16, spends typically increase in the final 5–7 days” said a senior media buying executive.
AI, micro-targeting
Beyond raw spends, the 2026 local elections are also notable for the aggressive use of AI-powered content tools. Political parties and independent candidates alike are deploying hyper-localised videos — sometimes generated for under ₹1,000 — replacing what would earlier have been ₹25,000 production budgets. These clips, often tailored by language, ward and demographic signals, are optimised for mobile consumption and rapid sharing on WhatsApp and Instagram.
However, the surge in digital spending has renewed scrutiny over proxy advertisers and opaque sponsorship disclosures. Analysts point out that third-party agencies and thematic pages can inflate perceived influence while complicating accountability, despite transparency frameworks introduced by Meta and Google.
As campaigning intensifies in the days ahead, Maharashtra’s civic elections are shaping up to be one of India’s most expensive local contests online — signalling how digital platforms have become as critical as rallies and roadshows in modern Indian politics.
