Parties and candidates have stepped up social media campaigns, with spending on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, and Messenger surging.

Data from October 20 to January 11 shows that the Rastriya Pariwartan Party spent the most on Facebook advertising. Following its merger with Ujyalo Nepal on January 15, the party promoted content through its main page, a page named Gen–Z United Movement, and the pages of its district chapters.

Other active accounts include the Gatisheel Loktantrik Party, the secretariat of Birendra Bahadur Basnet, Shree Gurung, Ujyalo Nepal Official, Sunil Kumar Sharma, RSP Coverage, Bhupendra Rai, and Manish Kumar Sah. All of them have posted continuous sponsored content on Meta platforms, targeting voters in specific constituencies.

In terms of numbers, over the past three months, the Gatisheel party’s main Facebook page posted 39 sponsored content items, the Okhaldhunga chapterof the Rastriya Pariwartan Party posted 30, the party’s main page 24, and the Gen–Z United Movement 18. Even after the merger, the Rastriya Pariwartan Party continued posting sponsored content in the last seven days.

The party, formed in November under the leadership of Rajesh Portel, who lost a leg during the Gen Z movement, spent $1,199 from its main page alone in the past three months. Other chapters contributed as well. Okhaldhunga spent $240, Gen–Z United $427, and the Panchthar chapter $100, among others, bringing the total spending to $2,360 (approximately Rs346,576.86).

Following the merger with Ujyalo Nepal, led by Kulman Ghising, the party now appears on Facebook as Ujyalo Nepal Party–UNP. Ujyalo had previously abandoned its alliance with the Rastriya Swatantra Party and updated its proportional representation list in partnership with the Rastriya Pariwartan Party.

The Facebook page named Ujyalo Nepal Official spent $464 on digital promotion over the past 90 days, establishing a strong online presence. After the merger, spending is expected to rise further. In the last 30 days, the Makwanpur chapter of Ujyalo spent under $100 on a single advertisement, according to Meta’s Ad Library.

The Gatisheel Loktantrik Party is the second-highest spender, having spent $1,116 across 39 ads in the past three months. Its campaigns include promoting tourism and agricultural self-reliance. In the last 30 days alone, the party spent $142 on advertisements.

Birendra Bahadur Basnet has also used both the party’s official page and his secretariat page for election-focused campaigns. From his secretariat page, Basnet spent $630 on 16 sponsored content items over three months, while another ad costing less than $100 lacked the legally required disclaimer.

Shree Gurung, who ran independently from Kathmandu–5 in 2022, is now a founding member of Ujyalo Nepal and has actively invested in digital promotion. Over the past 90 days, he spent $489 on 11 advertisements. In his previous elections, he had spent approximately $5,968 on social media, finishing third with 2,761 votes. He is again contesting from Kathmandu–5.

A Facebook page named Citizens for Voting Nepal, which calls itself a non-partisan initiative promoting voter literacy, spent $417 on a single ad from November 21 to 23. The ad featured graphics explaining online registration for voter ID, aiming to inform voters how to complete the process online.

From the Nepali Congress Party, Sunil Kumar Sharma, a medical entrepreneur contesting from Morang–3, spent $289 on three ads in the past 90 days. A page named RSP Coverage Yugesh spent $230, though its content appeared to focus on promoting specific candidates rather than general party coverage.

Meta’s data from January 11 to 17 shows a slight decrease in spending. During this week, the Rastriya Pariwartan Party spent $330, running ads without disclaimers for candidates Ganesh Karki and Prem Kumar Tamang. Facebook ads were also visible for Nepali Communist Party (NCP) leader Jhalanath Khanal and Rastriya Prajatantra Party chairman Rajendra Lingden.

Khanal, who announced he will not contest the March 5 elections, has left his constituency to younger candidates. Smaller spending was recorded by Pushpamani Kharel, RK Singh Parag’s secretariat, Ammar Pariyar Arya, and Deepak Karna. Sunil Kumar Sharma, Manraj Gurung, and Shree Gurung spent small amounts, as did Sita Dhungana and Kamal Koirala.

Most ads were run without legally required disclaimers. The Election Commission has announced stricter monitoring of social media advertising this year. Even small spending can have a significant impact due to the ability to target specific constituencies, social groups, and genders.

The commission had partnered with Meta and TikTok in the 2022 local elections to regulate political ads, tracking spending and content transparency. Since then, Facebook’s Ad Library has included Nepal, providing public access to expenditure and content details. A similar cooperation is underway this year to curb misinformation, false content, and hate speech.

With nominations for direct elections filed, the volume of social media advertisements is expected to surge. Parties and candidates are likely to increase their budgets. Digital campaigns show both ethical and unethical tendencies, according to technology expert Dovan Rai. Rai said that social media has democratised election outreach, offering broader and cheaper access compared with traditional door-to-door campaigns.

“Some candidates employ third parties to generate fake comments, buy likes, or create fake accounts,” Rai said. “This creates an artificial perception of support, influencing voters. Organised campaigns can also be used to defame opponents and spread negative messages.”

Rai expressed concern about online harassment targeting female and transgender candidates. Campaigns often focus on personal lives or gender rather than political issues, aiming to diminish credibility. Financially stronger candidates can amplify visibility through paid ads, which the Election Commission must track under spending limits, he said.