Poll Body Ex-Chief Rejects Report Of US Agency Funding For Indian Elections

Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi on Sunday dismissed reports claiming that a U.S. agency had provided funding to increase voter turnout in India during his tenure as the head of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

His statement came in response to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, which revealed a series of expenditure cuts, including the cancellation of USD 21 million earmarked for “voter turnout in India.”

The DOGE posted on X on Saturday, outlining the cancellation of various programs that would have cost hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. Among these cuts was the withdrawal of USD 486 million in grants to the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening, which included the USD 21 million for voter turnout initiatives in India.

Quraishi clarified that reports about an agreement made by the Election Commission of India in 2012, during his tenure, involving funding from a U.S. agency to increase voter turnout, were completely false. He firmly stated that the claims had “not an ounce of truth.”Atta