One of the more conspicuous failed attempts by the Congress party to stir public sentiment as the opposition was its dramatic “Vote Chori” (vote theft) allegation. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi leveled accusations against India’s top constitutional body the Election Commission of India (ECI) even before the electoral process had officially commenced. Ironically, the party’s claims quickly fell flat, with multiple numbers of Congress leaders found registered with the ECI’s systems, exposing a lack of credibility in their own narrative.
But this wasn’t just another political stunt. Many believe the real aim behind this spectacle was to erode public trust in a critical pillar of Indian democracy, the ECI, which oversees the electoral process in the world’s largest democracy. There are growing concerns that international actors may also have an interest in discrediting such institutions, using domestic influencers to do their bidding.
One such example appears to be Vikram Srinivas, a key figure behind the so-called “Vote Chori” propaganda presentation circulated by Congress.
Srinivas was previously affiliated with the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a think tank that has received funding from the Ford Foundation an organization frequently linked with promoting Western geopolitical interests in India. Critics point out that the Ford Foundation has long been accused of acting as a soft power front for the CIA’s international influence campaigns. Before his association with the Congress party, Vikram was actively involved with CPR, shaping narratives and public policy debates.
His ideological leanings became more evident through his earlier public posts during the CAA-NRC protests, where he echoed typical leftist positions.
Adding to the scrutiny is the fact that Srinivas is an alumnus of one of India’s premier institutions, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) which have long become fertile grounds for ideological indoctrination by left-leaning academics and NGOs.
More controversially, his wife, an assistant professor at IIT Delhi, joined the institution in 2021. Critics question whether ideological bias is creeping into academia, especially when family links between activists and academics come to light.
Organizations like the Transforming Rural India Foundation, which host figures like Srinivas, are also under the radar for receiving foreign funding while collaborating with Indian ministries raising serious questions about external influence on domestic policymaking.
A pressing question arises, why is the Congress party silent about its links to individuals connected to Western-funded institutions preparing campaigns to undermine constitutional bodies like the ECI? If the party genuinely had concerns regarding the Election Commission, the legal route was always open and indeed, they have recently approached the judiciary. However, as outcomes begin to unfold, their arguments are not just being dismissed but are beginning to backfire legally and politically.
Rather than strengthening democratic institutions through constructive engagement, it appears that Congress and its affiliated ecosystem are increasingly relying on theatrics, foreign-funded narratives, and ideological actors to question the credibility of India’s independent bodies. In the long run, such strategies risk not just political failure, but also a deeper erosion of public trust in the very institutions that uphold Indian democracy.
(This article is based on an X Thread By Vijay Patel)
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