BJP lodges FIR against BJD over ‘AI misuse to deceive voters’ in Nuapada bypoll

Political battle in Nuapada Assembly constituency segment took a new turn on Sunday, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lodging an FIR against the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), alleging misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) to mislead voters ahead of the by-election.

Also Read: Odisha BJP hits out at BJD for ‘cheap politics’ in Nuapada ahead of bypoll

According to BJP leaders, the BJD has been running an unethical campaign, using AI-generated content to create confusion and manipulate the minds of local voters. The saffron party accused BJD of going to the “lowest level” of electioneering by using technology to fabricate digital content and misrepresent political messages.

BJP representatives met with the cyber police officials and submitted an official complaint, claiming that AI tools were being used to falsely mimic voices and images of senior leaders, including the Chief Minister, to create sympathy and distort facts.

This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced. Earlier, the BJP had also lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, alleging cyber manipulation and digital propaganda by the BJD.

With this new FIR, tensions in the Nuapada bypoll campaign have escalated further.

“In view of Nuapada bypoll, the low level to which Biju Janata Dal is going down and campaigning is clearly visible to one and all these days. We had presented evidence before the CEO yesterday as to how facts are being manipulated by using AI to bias local voters,” BJP functionary, Satyabrata Panda, said.

Allegedly, photographs of Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal and MLA Himanshu Sahu were digitally altered using AI tools and were circulated on different social media platforms to mislead the voters of Nuapada Assembly constituency segment.

However, the BJD has not yet issued any official reaction to BJP’s accusations.