Maharashtra: Thane election campaigns get AI touch, save time and money

Thane: As campaigning gathers pace for Thane civic elections, candidates constrained by limited manpower, infrastructure and tight budgets are increasingly turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to reach out to voters.With traditional rallies losing traction in a city where campaign hours often clash with work schedules, candidates are leaning on community screens and social media reels to make their pitch. AI-driven content, campaigners say, offers a sharper and more cost-effective alternative to conventional outreach.Short, hyper-local videos place candidates against digitally generated yet lifelike backdrops of their neighbourhoods, offering artistic previews of proposed projects or flashbacks to the Covid-19 lockdown, which are an integral part of a few campaigns by local contestants in Thane. These visuals are stitched together to highlight individual contributions to community welfare, often within hours. Campaign manager Amit Medhekar said AI tools allow a single recording to be repurposed into multiple localised messages, enabling candidates to stretch limited resources during the 2026 civic polls. "For aspirants with small budgets, tailored videos can be produced within a few hours at a cost of Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 each," said a designer who specialises in such content, noting that conventional shoots can cost Rs 25,000 or more.Nitin Landage, a former Yuva Sena leader now contesting as an independent from Ward 4, said he turned to AI after deciding to enter the fray at the last minute. "I had very little time and money," he said. "AI-generated visuals recreated scenes from the Covid lockdown showing my work with stranded workers and housing societies, and protest scenes linked to the Borivli tunnel project." The videos, he added, were completed within 24 hours at minimal cost. Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Shahaji Khuspe from Ward 13 also relied on AI videos to showcase years of social work. Even candidates from established parties said they could experiment to bolster their visibility at the ward level in the limited days available ahead. AI-led campaigning still remains in its early stages, but political watchers say it is helping candidates save time and money.