After the conclusion of election activities, both physical rallies and digital campaigning played a significant role in the lead-up to the election day. Political parties invested substantial amounts of money in thousands of Facebook advertisements as part of their digital strategy.
Many advertisers disguised themselves as news platforms to evade voter suspicion, utilizing different tactics to maximize their reach. The analysis focused on advertisers spending more than $100 on Meta ads within the past 30 days, as Meta does not disclose spending below this threshold. Therefore, the actual spending and number of election-related ads may exceed the reported figures.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) operated through a network of 136 pages, running 5,179 ads with a total expenditure of $96,171 (approximately Tk 1.15 crore). Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami and the 11-party alliance utilized 104 pages to run 2,792 ads, with a spending estimate of at least Tk 85 lakh.
Various alliance members like Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, National Citizen Party, and Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party collectively spent significant amounts on advertising during the campaign period. Independent candidates also actively engaged in digital advertising, with 33 pages running 843 ads at an estimated cost of about Tk 22 lakh.
The top advertisers included both BNP and Jamaat-affiliated pages. Notably, Dhaka News 24 Online, posing as a news platform but aligned with Jamaat-e-Islami, emerged as the highest spender, investing around Tk 11.17 lakh in 46 ads. Following closely was “Dhaka 17 News,” supporting Jamaat’s candidate, which spent Tk 9.73 lakh on 56 ads.
Individual candidates like Humam Quader Chowdhury of the BNP and MAH Salim, an independent candidate, also allocated substantial funds for digital advertising. The competition extended to various parties and candidates, with each striving to convey their messages effectively through social media platforms.
