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Election 2026 in Data

৳70 Million Vote Battle on Facebook

An analysis of political advertising campaign data conducted between 27 November 2025 and 24 February 2026. An interactive data-driven picture of which party spent the most, which districts saw the most active digital campaigning, and how coordinated campaigns were operated.

Dataxplainer 29-05-2026
বাংলা EN
Total spend
৳70,999,852
Total pages
1,224
Total ads
25,703

Election campaigning in Bangladesh is no longer limited to posters alone. Facebook advertising data surrounding the 2026 election shows that political parties, candidates, supporter groups, and informal networks are now all actively involved in digital campaigning.

In some districts, more money was spent on candidate-centered campaigning than on official party pages. In other cases, the same message and visuals were circulated from multiple pages, indicating the presence of coordinated digital networks.

The data also shows that influence does not depend only on total spending. The number of pages involved, the diversity of networks, and the geographical spread of campaigns are also important factors.

In this context, an important question emerges: who actually controls digital election campaigning – political parties, candidates, or informal networks, much of which remains outside public visibility?

Ad spend by district
LowerHigher

Top Spending Districts

54% Spending in 7 Districts

There are noticeable differences in Facebook advertising strategies across the top seven districts. In some districts, major political parties ran coordinated campaigns through extensive page networks, while in others, candidates relied more heavily on their own pages.

Districts such as Dhaka and Chattogram saw large-scale multi-page campaign operations. In several districts, a significant share of advertisements came from only a small number of pages.

Another layer of Facebook campaigning also emerged through small pages and local supporter networks.

The Facebook advertising battle is ultimately also a contest over visibility, coordination, and influence.

Top 1 District

Dhaka

Total Spent
৳13,594,338
Top 1 District

Basic Info

Total ads
4,201
Page/Profile
130
% of country
19.1%
Top 1 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳9,575,41470.4%
Pro-candidate
৳3,924,13028.9%
Pro-party
৳94,7940.7%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳4,347,592
Jamaat
৳3,579,846
Independent
৳464,454
NCP
৳452,376
AB Party
৳160,186

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 70.4% of the total district spending.

Top 1 District

How Much Spent

Party: Jamaat ৳6,058,886, BNP ৳5,116,070, Independent ৳718,092
Spend type: Candidate ৳9,575,414, Pro-candidate ৳3,924,130, Pro-party ৳94,794

Total candidates61Candidate-wise spend ৳9,575,414
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳4,347,592
Jamaat
৳3,579,846
Independent
৳464,454
NCP
৳452,376
AB Party
৳160,186
Top 2 District

Chattogram

Total Spent
৳4,245,722
Top 2 District

Basic Info

Total ads
1,240
Page/Profile
54
% of country
6.0%
Top 2 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳3,998,55094.2%
Pro-candidate
৳243,7565.7%
Pro-party
৳3,4160.1%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
Jamaat
৳2,083,882
BNP
৳1,636,996
Independent
৳150,914
Islami Andolan Bangladesh
৳63,806
NCP
৳38,674

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 94.2% of the total district spending.

Top 2 District

How Much Spent

Party: Jamaat ৳2,085,224, BNP ৳1,773,514, Independent ৳248,880
Spend type: Candidate ৳3,998,550, Pro-candidate ৳243,756, Pro-party ৳3,416

Total candidates37Candidate-wise spend ৳3,998,550
Party-wise Candidate Spend
Jamaat
৳2,083,882
BNP
৳1,636,996
Independent
৳150,914
Islami Andolan Bangladesh
৳63,806
NCP
৳38,674
Top 3 District

Narayanganj

Total spend
৳2,078,758
Top 3 District

Basic Info

Total ads
776
Page/Profile
25
% of country
2.9%
Top 3 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳1,875,87290.2%
Pro-candidate
৳170,5568.2%
Pro-party
৳32,3301.6%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳971,730
Khelafat Majlis
৳245,708
Independent
৳205,814
Bangladesh Repablican Party (BRP)
৳184,952
Gono sanhati Andolan
৳80,276

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 90.2% of the total district spending.

Top 3 District

How Much Spent

Party: BNP ৳1,098,122, Khelafat Majlis ৳245,708, Independent ৳205,814
Spend type: Candidate ৳1,875,872, Pro-candidate ৳170,556, Pro-party ৳32,330

Total candidates16Candidate-wise spend ৳1,875,872
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳971,730
Khelafat Majlis
৳245,708
Independent
৳205,814
Bangladesh Repablican Party (BRP)
৳184,952
Gono sanhati Andolan
৳80,276
Top 4 District

Mymensingh

Total spend
৳1,869,528
Top 4 District

Basic Info

Total ads
801
Page/Profile
30
% of country
2.6%
Top 4 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳1,495,47680.0%
Pro-candidate
৳359,16819.2%
Pro-party
৳14,8840.8%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳616,710
Jamaat
৳419,802
NCP
৳220,942
Independent
৳188,490
Bangladesh Development Party
৳24,156

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 80.0% of the total district spending.

Top 4 District

How Much Spent

Party: BNP ৳736,392, Jamaat ৳661,850, NCP ৳220,942
Spend type: Candidate ৳1,495,476, Pro-candidate ৳359,168, Pro-party ৳14,884

Total candidates19Candidate-wise spend ৳1,495,476
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳616,710
Jamaat
৳419,802
NCP
৳220,942
Independent
৳188,490
Bangladesh Development Party
৳24,156
Top 5 District

Brahmanbaria

Total spend
৳1,622,234
Top 5 District

Basic Info

Total ads
742
Page/Profile
24
% of country
2.3%
Top 5 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳1,587,09897.8%
Pro-candidate
৳18,0561.1%
Pro-party
৳17,0801.1%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
Independent
৳522,038
Jamaat
৳397,476
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis
৳190,076
Gono sanhati Andolan
৳185,684
Islami Andolan Bangladesh
৳169,214

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 97.8% of the total district spending.

Top 5 District

How Much Spent

Party: Independent ৳522,038, Jamaat ৳414,556, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis ৳190,076
Spend type: Candidate ৳1,587,098, Pro-candidate ৳18,056, Pro-party ৳17,080

Total candidates19Candidate-wise spend ৳1,587,098
Party-wise Candidate Spend
Independent
৳522,038
Jamaat
৳397,476
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis
৳190,076
Gono sanhati Andolan
৳185,684
Islami Andolan Bangladesh
৳169,214
Top 6 District

Bagerhat

Total spend
৳1,608,814
Top 6 District

Basic Info

Total ads
285
Page/Profile
10
% of country
2.3%
Top 6 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳1,587,22098.7%
Pro-candidate
৳21,5941.3%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
Independent
৳1,383,358
Jamaat
৳105,408
BNP
৳57,828
Islami Andolan Bangladesh
৳40,626

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 98.7% of the total district spending.

Top 7 District

Sylhet

Total spend
৳1,356,152
Top 7 District

Basic Info

Total ads
602
Page/Profile
18
% of country
1.9%
Top 7 District

Type of Spend

Candidate
৳1,288,80895.0%
Pro-party
৳67,3445.0%
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳588,528
Jamaat
৳452,986
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis
৳171,288
Jatiya Party
৳32,696
Independent
৳26,352

In this district, the largest share came from candidate, accounting for 95.0% of the total district spending.

Top 7 District

How Much Spent

Party: BNP ৳614,636, Jamaat ৳461,282, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis ৳171,288
Spend type: Candidate ৳1,288,808, Pro-party ৳67,344

Total candidates12Candidate-wise spend ৳1,288,808
Party-wise Candidate Spend
BNP
৳588,528
Jamaat
৳452,986
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis
৳171,288
Jatiya Party
৳32,696
Independent
৳26,352

Advertising for Parties Only

Analysis of party-related spending shows that Facebook-based political campaigning was not limited to candidates’ own pages. Instead, a large promotional ecosystem was formed through three types of pages: candidate pages, pro-candidate pages, and pro-party pages.

The largest share of BNP’s spending came directly from the “candidate” category. Candidates’ own pages, supporter groups, and party-aligned promotional networks together created a large-scale online presence.

Party-wise Spend Source

The top 10 parties are shown separately, while the remaining parties are grouped together as Other. The chart shows how each party’s total spending was distributed across Candidate, Pro-candidate, and Pro-party pages.

Candidate Pro-candidate Pro-party
BNP459 Pages
৳36,591,948
Jamaat370 Pages
৳21,614,862
Independent86 Pages
৳5,191,100
NCP72 Pages
৳1,862,940
Islami Andolon Bangladesh67 Pages
৳1,522,560
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis24 Pages
৳1,015,406
Ganosamhati Andolan9 Pages
৳453,840
AB Party15 Pages
৳419,436
Janotar Dol6 Pages
৳332,694
Jatiya Party17 Pages
৳302,804
Other91 Pages
৳1,692,262

Jamaat’s pattern was somewhat different. A major portion of their spending came from pages operated “in support of candidates.” Although they used comparatively fewer pages, they relied more heavily on supporter networks for campaigning.

For independent candidates as well, a large portion of spending came directly from candidate-centered campaigning. However, their campaigns were generally concentrated in specific districts or constituencies.

The spending of NCP, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and other smaller parties was comparatively lower. However, even among them, the use of both “pro-party” and “pro-candidate” advertisements was observed.

In addition to party, candidate, and pro-candidate pages, another type of campaigning was also identified. These pages did not target any specific district, constituency, or candidate. Meanwhile, some other pages were active around particular districts, candidates, or localized campaign efforts.

Pro-party Pages: District-specific vs Non-district-specific Spend

This chart separately shows only the parties whose pro-party spending accounts for at least 5% of the total spend across all parties; the remaining parties are grouped together as Other.

Associated with district/local campaigning Non-district-specific / national campaigning
BNPDistrict Page 77 · Non District Page 211
৳18,593,410
JamaatDistrict Page 73 · Non District Page 100
৳9,284,932
OtherDistrict Page 90 · Non District Page 74
৳27,35,362

Pages promoting political parties spent a total of ৳30,613,704. Among this, district-focused pages accounted for ৳8,465,336 in spending, while national/central campaign pages spent ৳22,148,368.

Use the dropdown menu below to select a political party and view its total spending, number of advertisements, and number of pages.

Total spend–
Total ads–
Total pages–

Which pages spent the most?

According to Facebook Ad Library data, the highest spending occurred in the “candidate” category. BNP spent the most in this category, with candidate-centered Facebook campaigning particularly visible in Dhaka and other major districts.

Party-wise Candidate and pro-candidate spending

This chart shows the spending of the top five parties across three categories: candidate, pro-candidate, and pro-party spending.

Jamaat showed a somewhat different pattern. A large portion of their spending came from pages operated “in support of candidates.” Despite using fewer pages, they were able to build a coordinated digital presence.

Significant spending was also observed in the pro-party category, where BNP-aligned networks again spent the most.

From the “Select District” dropdown menu below, first choose a district to see how much was spent on Facebook advertising by candidates and pro-candidate networks in that district. After selecting a district, the constituencies within that district where Facebook ads were run will appear in the “Select Constituency” dropdown menu. Selecting a constituency will display the Facebook advertising expenditure for that constituency.

Total spend–
Top 10 Page Spend–
Total pages–
Who runs the ads?

This section shows not only how much a candidate spent through their own page, but also how much was spent by pages campaigning in support of them. It helps reveal which candidates had larger coordinated online networks around them.

The chart presents four types of information: advertising spend from candidates’ own pages, spending by pro-candidate pages, the number of ads from candidates’ own pages, and the number of ads from supporter or pro-candidate pages.

This comparison makes it easier to see which candidates relied mainly on their own campaign pages and which benefited from wider supporter networks.

In many cases, a candidate’s own spending was relatively low, while pages campaigning in support of the candidate spent much more. This indicates that campaigns were not limited to official pages; multiple pages were active in spreading the same message, slogan, or political position.

In some constituencies, however, the candidate’s own page was the main campaign hub, with limited pro-candidate activity but a high volume of ads from the official page itself. This shows that candidates did not all use the same digital strategy.

Selecting a constituency provides a clearer local picture. In some constituencies, digital campaigning was competitive among two or three candidates, while in others, a single candidate dominated most of the online advertising space.

This analysis does not only show the volume of ads; it also highlights how coordinated political digital networks operated during the campaign.

Use the constituency dropdown below to see spending by candidate pages and pro-candidate pages in the selected constituency. Candidate-page spending is shown in blue, while pro-candidate page spending/ad activity is shown in yellow.

Candidate pages–
Own spend–
Pro-candidate spend–
Total ads–
নীল = candidate's own spend, হলুদ = pro-candidate spend.
নীল = candidate's own number of ads, হলুদ = pro-candidate number of ads.
একটি constituency Select।

Total spending by constituency – click/tap the map to explore

Hover over or tap a district on the map to view its spending, advertisement count, and page count. Clicking or double-tapping a district will display charts showing party-wise and constituency-wise spending within that district. Clicking or double-tapping a constituency bar will display party-wise spending for that constituency.

BAY OF BENGAL Dhaka Cumilla Munshiganj Mymensingh Sylhet Khagrachari Bhola Borguna Shatkhira Gopalganj Magura Chuadanga Pabna Rajshahi Gaibandha Lalmonirhat Rangamati Cox's Bazar Noakhali Chandpur Patuakhali Khulna Pirojpur Madaripur Jhenaidaha Meherpur Manikganj Gazipur Brahmanbaria Nator Sunamganj Jamalpur Jaipurhat Nilfamari Thakurgaon Habiganj Panchagarh Netrokona Tangail Chittagong Barisal Narail Narsingdi Rajbari Nawabganj Bogra Dinajpur Kurigram Maulvibazar Bandarban Feni Lakshmipur Jhalokati Bagerhat Jessore Kushtia Shariatpur Faridpur Narayanganj Kishoreganj Sirajganj Naogaon Sherpur Rangpur MYANMAR TRIPURA (INDIA) MEGHALAYA (INDIA) WEST BENGAL (INDIA) 0 Divisional Headquarter 50 100 km Capital BANGLADESH (Administrative Divisions) Divisional Boundary International Boundary
ডিসক্লেইমার অবস্থা
Spendের মানদণ্ড
গড় Spend/Ads–
সর্বোচ্চ একক Spend–
Candidate Page Spend–
District count–

This investigation was produced with support from Report for the World, a global media service strengthening local independent journalism.

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DataXplainer
Lead Data Editor: Polash Datta