Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi on Sunday dismissed reports alleging that a US agency had provided funding to increase voter turnout in India during his tenure at the Election Commission of India (ECI).
His response came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, announced a series of expenditure cuts, including a cancellation of USD 21 million allocated for “voter turnout in India.”
The DOGE, in a post on X on Saturday, detailed a list of terminated programs amounting to hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Among them was USD 486 million in grants to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, including the now-canceled USD 21 million earmarked for voter participation in India.
Refuting the claims, Quraishi stated, “The report in a section of media about an MoU by the ECI in 2012, when I was CEC, for funding of certain million dollars by a US agency for raising voter turnout in India does not have an iota of fact.”
He clarified that during his tenure, the ECI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in 2012. However, he emphasized that the MoU, like those with other election management bodies, was solely for training purposes at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) and did not involve any financial transactions.
“There was no financing or even a promise of finance involved in the MoU, forget X or Y amount,” he asserted.
Reacting to DOGE’s revelation, BJP leader Amit Malviya termed the reported grant an instance of “external interference” in India’s electoral process. “USD 21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!” Malviya posted on X.
He further claimed that the now-canceled program suggested that the previous Congress-led UPA government had enabled the infiltration of Indian institutions by foreign entities opposed to the country’s interests.
Dismissing these allegations, Quraishi reiterated that the MoU had explicitly stated that it would not create any financial or legal obligations for either party. “This stipulation was made at two different places to leave no scope for any ambiguity. Any mention of any funds in connection with this MoU is completely false and malicious,” he said.
Quraishi served as India’s Chief Election Commissioner from July 30, 2010, to June 10, 2012.
