Archive: September 19, 2025

“Smokescreen” Report Alleges Widespread Electoral Manipulation and Democratic Backsliding in India

“Smokescreen” Report Alleges Widespread Electoral Manipulation and Democratic Backsliding in India

The report concludes that the current political landscape paints a grim picture for India, where nearly 1.4 billion people are described as suffering from “unprecedented poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment, lawlessness, and religious animosity”.

NEW DELHI – September 2025 – RMN Foundation has announced the release of a new political research report, “Unveiling the Smokescreen of Indian Democracy: Fabricated Factors Masking Electoral Manipulation“. Authored by national award-winning journalist Rakesh Raman, also the Editor of RMN News and Founder of RMN Foundation, the report asserts that India, the world’s most populated country, is grappling with an “unprecedented debate regarding the integrity of its electoral process”.

The report contends that the electoral dominance of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not solely based on genuine popular support but on a sophisticated, multi-layered strategy involving a “smokescreen” of manufactured narratives and alleged widespread electoral manipulation.

The “Smokescreen” report details a four-pronged strategy allegedly employed by the Modi regime to deflect criticism and maintain power:

Weaponization of Victimhood: This tactic reportedly reframes personal criticism of the Prime Minister as an attack on his identity, humble origins, or even the nation itself, aiming to rally supporters and deflect substantive policy critiques on issues like unemployment, poverty, and inflation.

Strategic Politicization of National Security Events: The report claims that national security issues and military actions, such as “Operation Sindoor,” the 2016 Uri terror attack, and the 2019 Balakot airstrike, are leveraged during electoral campaigns to generate nationalism and distract from critical economic and social issues like agrarian distress and unemployment.

Politics of “Doles,” Welfare, and Media Alignment: Government welfare schemes, branded as “Modi Ki Guarantee,” are presented as personal gifts from the Prime Minister to foster gratitude and dependency among voters. Programs like Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana are highlighted, which critics contend are “doles” that do not address root causes of poverty. This narrative is amplified by a “lapdog media” that reportedly functions as a mouthpiece for the ruling party, marginalizing dissenting voices.

Ineffective Opposition: The perceived inability of the opposition, particularly the Indian National Congress, to effectively counter the BJP’s narratives and grassroots machinery, is presented as a public-facing reason for BJP’s victories, thereby allegedly masking underlying electoral fraud.

Beneath this political façade, the report outlines claims that the BJP’s electoral success is driven by alleged fraudulent practices, specifically concerning the integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and manipulated voter rolls. The report notes that the Congress government in Karnataka recently recommended reverting to paper ballots for local elections due to “eroded credibility” of EVMs. International figures like Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have also advocated for paper ballots, with Musk citing a “too high” risk of hacking for electronic voting machines. An RMN News Poll indicated that 89% of respondents prefer ballot papers for Indian elections.

The report points to the “Vote Chori” (vote theft) campaign, spearheaded by opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, which alleges “huge criminal fraud” in the 2024 polls, accusing the BJP and Election Commission of India (ECI) of collusion. Specific allegations include over 1 lakh fake voters in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment, which allegedly secured the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat for the BJP by a narrow margin. The report also highlights the “Selective Wins” theory, positing that the BJP selectively manipulates EVMs to win crucial state and national elections, while allowing opposition wins in less critical states to maintain the illusion of a fair democracy.

The report concludes that the current political landscape paints a grim picture for India, where nearly 1.4 billion people are described as suffering from “unprecedented poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment, lawlessness, and religious animosity”. In such a climate, “honest and educated candidates” may struggle to be elected because the electoral process is deemed “neither fair nor transparent”. The report asserts that “without EVM manipulation, electoral roll frauds, bribes to voters, threats to voters, etc.,” Modi and the BJP “cannot win even a single election”.

Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and the founder of the RMN Foundation, a humanitarian organization. His extensive work includes running global news services, various anti-corruption and human rights campaigns, and providing expert research inputs as a Country Expert for India to the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project under the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He also leads a nationwide campaign for social democracy and justice and focuses on concerns about electronic voting machines in Indian elections.

About RMN Foundation: The RMN Foundation is a humanitarian organization dedicated to advocating for social democracy and justice, running various campaigns including environment protection, human rights protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption initiatives. It also publishes research reports on different subjects and is involved in addressing concerns about electoral integrity.

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