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.
Around five different people from across parties working within war rooms for the past month said that many women are now being roped into this space. One of them said that previous elections had only a handful of women in war rooms, and now the number has tripled. Women relate to voter sentiments and come up with creative campaign ideas, he added. Mr. Sathyan also said that more women have been inducted into their war rooms.
Sasikanth Senthil, Congress MP representing Tiruvallur Parliamentary constituency and chairman of the national war room of the Indian National Congress, said: “Our war rooms are mostly organisational, but they also include a communication unit, a legal unit, and an electoral training unit.”
“We basically run something called a Connect Centre: a model which we have derived nationally, and through this, we connect with our booth presidents and village presidents,” he said. Responding to a query on the average age of those involved in war rooms, he said, “In the Congress’ national war room, 95% are below 40, with most under 30 — young individuals in sync with the work. In Tamil Nadu, around 70% are young people.”
BJP’s spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy said that his party has got a committed and enthusiastic cadre actively engaged in separate teams for social media, narratives, and counter narratives.
Rajmohan, deputy general secretary of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), the newest party to enter the war room space, said: “This is our first Assembly election, so we are making our own history.”
He added: “We have already established mini-war rooms in all district secretary offices to coordinate our online meetings and campaigns. We use detailed surveys that help the party understand voter sentiments. Our war room is a real blend of professionals. We are not just running a campaign, we are building a tech-enabled movement,” he added.
Despite having strong war rooms across parties, there is consensus that while technology sharpens strategy, elections are still won on the ground.
Published – March 25, 2026 06:23 pm IST
