Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Sunday rejected reports suggesting that the USAID granted funds worth $21 million to improve the voter turnout in India. Qureshi's response came after the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cancelled a $21 million fund earmarked for 'voter turnout in India'.
The former Election Commissioner said in a series of posts on X that the reports do not have an iota of fact.
"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," Quraishi said in a post.
He added that when he was the CEC, there was an MoU with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in 2012. The EC had similar MoUs with other agencies and election management bodies to facilitate training for countries at ECI's training and resource centre -- India International Institute for Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM).
"There was no financing or even promise of finance involved in MoU, forget X or Y amount. The MoU in fact made it clear in black and white that there would be no financial and legal obligation of any kind on either side side," he said in another post.
He further said that this stipulation was made at two different places, leaving no room for ambiguity. "Any mention of any funds in connection with this MoU is completely false and malicious."
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Nalin Kohli said that this is not the first instance of foreign interference in India's electoral processes. Kohli asked why would any US agency want to give $21 million for election-related work in India.
"We are the world's largest democracy. Free and fair elections are held here. Institutionally, there are mechanisms that ensure free and fair elections including the Election Commission of India," Kohli said.
He further cited similar instances in the past wherein the Congress engaged with organisations such as Cambridge Analytica in an attempt to interfere with India's election process.
"Certainly, if anyone has received money under it, that has to be made clear and if something like that is being stopped it is in the larger interest of freedom of democracy without interference."