PU campus sees its first AI-powered student elections

A member of ABVP’s social media team said the party has shifted focus onto Instagram since students are no longer active on Twitter or Facebook, which was in play during the previous elections.

Move over handmade posters and dull social media posts, Panjab University (PU) is now witnessing its first-ever AI-powered elections. While student parties are already leveraging the power of social media, AI has emerged a gamerchanger, helping parties scale up their digital efforts with sharper, catchier content.

An AI avatar of an ASAP leader amid PU student elections slated for September 3. (HT Photo)

Former PUCSC vice-president Archit Garg noted that social media has moved from being a supplement to a decisive factor in vote conversion. “During the previous elections, it was just about uploading posters online. This year, professionalised teams are pushing cinematic reels, AI avatars and AI-generated interactive/relatable content. At least 400-500 votes can be attributed solely to stronger online campaigns,” he said.

Aamir Singh Pannu, the social media manager for the Students Organisation of India (SOI), reveals, “Earlier, we made posts and occasional videos to share updates, but the content rarely travelled beyond campus. Now, even a single speech can be split into multiple reels, each cut for Instagram, collaboration features and reposts. The impact multiplies instantly.”

A member of ABVP’s social media team said the party has shifted focus onto Instagram since students are no longer active on Twitter or Facebook, which was in play during the previous elections.

A HPSU candidate’s ‘grey-yellow’ poster, which is in keeping with social media’s content. (HT Photo)

National student organisations are now directly backing campus units with manpower and expertise. ABVP, for instance, has introduced digital trends like e-newsletters to showcase manifestos and portfolios. “Our national team has supported us with professional editors and daily tracking. On campus, we work in shifts for 6-7 hours, monitoring insights and student activity,” said Divseerat Kaur, ABVP’s social media manager. Tools like Adobe Photoshop for professional graphics, Canva for quick designs and ChatGPT for drafting captions and press notes are part of their daily kit.

In contrast, ASAP and NSUI’s social media managers claimed that as of now, they have not received such backing from their parent parties AAP and Congress. “We have our own students volunteering to do the photography and editing. We haven’t received any kind of support from the national unit, just guidance to align with their ideology,” ASAP’s spokesperson Vatanveer Singh Gill said.

Students remain divided over the digital turn. For many, the shift has made elections more visible and engaging. “Social media campaigning makes it easier for us to follow what’s happening. I might skip a rally, but I’ll definitely see a reel or a story on Instagram. It’s more relatable and creative,” said PU student Prachi Thakur. Others, however, argue that the essence of street politics is being diluted in the process.