Tamil Nadu election: Political party war rooms heat up as election battle begins

Political parties in Tamil Nadu ramp up their election strategies in high-tech war rooms, focusing on youth engagement and real-time responses.

With candidate lists set to be unveiled and campaigns gathering pace, the spotlight has shifted to political parties’ war rooms where the real battle is already under way round the clock. Beyond traditional strategy, parties are now tapping into a new ecosystem, roping in women, catering to Gen-Z audiences, and deploying AI experts to sharpen messaging, decode voter behaviour, and respond in real time.

While war room leaders remained tight-lipped about their strategies, those working behind the scenes offered a glimpse into the activities happening behind the walls and computer screens.

“Things have become much easier now with technology, including videos and live tracking. Artificial intelligence is playing a major role in data analysis and in identifying fake news, such as tracing where it originated,” said a source who has been a part of political war rooms for three elections now. According to him, war room spending and budgets have also increased by 200%, and they now run into a few crores. “The connection we establish with Gen-Z and first-time voters really matters, and all parties are roping in youngsters who can work on creatives and campaigns that will attract this category,” he added.

“Our war rooms are the nerve centre of the campaign, structured from booth to State-level with nodal agents relaying real-time feedback from every 2-3 booths and district teams coordinating data, communications, and strategy. They track voter sentiment, manage content, run surveys, and respond instantly to issues and misinformation with verified inputs,” said T.R.B. Rajaa, Industries Minister, who has been spearheading the war rooms for the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). “The speed at which fake news spreads today requires equally fast response, and we are doing this with the help of technology, real-time monitoring, and coordinated digital systems, enabling immediate, evidence-based rebuttals,” he explained.

“Compared to previous elections, this cycle is far more digital, data-driven, and AI-enabled, with booth-level digital agents and integrated platforms improving precision and speed; these systems played a key role in our 2021 success and have since evolved significantly. Our teams work with both in-house capabilities and external partners, while human judgment remains central to all decisions,” Mr. Rajaa pointed out.

Kovai Sathyan, State president-IT Wing and national spokesperson of the AIADMK, said, “We have a data team, a creative team, a campaign team, and a propaganda team. We also have a rapid response team — when there is fake news, we counter it with data.” He then said that social media can shape opinions, but those opinions do not last long — it is often just a fad. To make a real impact, you need to be on the ground, he noted.