In this episode, we speak with journalist Ayush Tiwari about how Indians participate in the voting process and the challenges they face. Our conversation comes as journalists, activists, and politicians raise serious questions about the integrity of the election process, particularly the Election Commission of India. We discuss the basics of the voting process, the complaints made by opposition parties, and current concerns about voter suppression in India’s second-largest state, Bihar. Ayush brings his insights from his ground reporting in this timely discussion about how the Indian government’s attacks on democracy are affecting Indians’ fundamental right to choose their leaders.AN UPDATE: In the time between recording and publishing this episode, a wave of new allegations of electoral fraud has emerged, including an investigation by Scroll into allegations of election fraud in the state of Uttar Pradesh. We will release an update on this topic in the coming weeks, once the dust settles from what continues to be a dynamic issue.

Reading List

1. Electoral Irregularities in the World’s Largest Democracy -  Sabyasachi Das

2. “Manual on Electoral Rolls” and “Handbook for Returning Officer” - Election Commission of India

3. Assessing the Integrity of India’s 2024 Lok Sabha Elections - Milan Vaishnav

4. The Verdict: Decoding India's Elections - Prannoy Roy & Dorab R. Sopariwala

5. Why India’s Election Commission is facing a test of credibility - Nikhil Inamdar, BBC

6. ECI Skipped its Fraud-Busting Software, Flooding Bihar Voter Roll With Lakhs of Suspect Duplicates -Ayushi Kar, and Vishnu Narayan, Reporters’ Collective 

7. Guide to the 2024 Indian Elections - Hindus for Human Rights 

8. India After Gandhi - Ramchandra Guha

9. Freedom at Midnight

Ayush’s work

1. Voters alleged election fraud in UP bye-poll. Now data mirrors their claims - Ayush Tiwari & Aryan Mahtta
2. We went to a polling booth with one of the highest deletions in Bihar: here’s what we found - Ayush Tiwari, and Aryan Mahtta, Scroll 
3. EC began Bihar roll revision without data and shifted goal posts midway, court document shows-  Ayush Tiwari, Scroll