Indian election consultants export covert campaign tactics globally

Indian election consultancy firms are exporting covert digital campaign tactics to manipulate elections internationally, including in the United States. Al Jazeera reported that these operations rely on low-cost workers in India who produce digital content for foreign political campaigns without declaring official links. [1]

In one instance detailed by Al Jazeera, a 22-year-old content creator named Rajan Kumar worked from an unfurnished flat in Ahmedabad, India, creating material for William Ruto during the 2022 presidential campaign in Kenya. Kumar was paid seven dollars a day to design posters and edit videos, which included trimming speeches given by opposing political leaders. [1]

The content created by worker networks was not distributed through official political channels. Al Jazeera reported that the material was uploaded to shadow social media accounts that hid their true identities. This tactic allowed coordinated political messaging to appear as independent support for the target candidates. [1]

The domestic political environment in India has also faced scrutiny over election integrity. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Indian security forces surrounded an opposition rally site in New Delhi on November 1, 2026, where members of the Cockroach Janta Party demanded the resignation of the chief election commissioner following revisions to voter lists. [4]