Gokhale said the ECI’s refusal to share vendor information raises questions about the integrity of the election process. The MP alleged that some vendors handling voter data and election software have political affiliations with the BJP.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI, October 15: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saket Gokhale has alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) may have hired vendors and consultants linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing the poll body of “extreme attempts” to conceal crucial information.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Gokhale claimed that the ECI’s refusal to disclose details about vendors hired for election-related work raises serious concerns about the fairness and integrity of India’s electoral process.
“There is something very rotten going on at the Election Commission of India,” Gokhale wrote. “The reason it is suspicious is because of the extreme attempts being made by the ECI to hide information.”
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The MP said that in July 2020, he had released evidence showing that the ECI had engaged an agency allegedly owned by a member of the BJP’s IT Cell in Maharashtra. He has linked to those documents publicly.
This year, Gokhale said he filed an RTI application seeking a list of all vendors, agencies, and consultants hired by the ECI over the past four years. The ECI, however, reportedly declined to share the information, citing that the data was “not in a compiled form” and that preparing it would “disproportionately divert resources.”
Calling the justification “ridiculous,” Gokhale argued that the ECI’s refusal “raises red flags” because the external agencies it contracts are involved in critical tasks such as:
- Creation and printing of voter ID (EPIC) cards
- Printing of election forms, voter manuals, and notices
- Managing contractual staff for polling and data operations
- Digitization of electoral rolls
- Software management of election and voter databases
“These vendors have access to confidential voter data which could be misused by a political party for targeted campaigning,” Gokhale warned.
VERY IMPORTANT & SERIOUS:
Has the Election Commission hired BJP-affiliated vendors and consultants?There is something very rotten going on at the Election Commission of India. The reason it is suspicious is because of the extreme attempts being made by the ECI to hide… pic.twitter.com/0cozqMaD1Q
— Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) October 14, 2025
He further noted that the ECI had previously used a similar excuse to deny information in another RTI related to a survey conducted in Bihar in 2003.
“Why is the ECI hiding the details of the vendors hired by them? Who are these vendors, and why is the Commission so scared of revealing this info?” he questioned.
Gokhale demanded that the Election Commission “come clean” on the issue, asserting that transparency in such matters is vital to maintaining public trust in India’s democratic process.
The Election Commission has not yet issued a response to the allegations.
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