Indian firms interfering in US elections, claims report:Fake social media accounts used for campaigns; content creators tarnish opponents’ image

Indian consulting firms and content creators have been accused of promoting candidates through social media during the US midterm elections. According to an Al Jazeera report, they are paid to create fake accounts and use them to share posts and videos in support of their candidates. They edit and misrepresent speeches by opposing leaders and spread false claims against them. This work is not limited to the US. Indian consultants are also working on elections in Africa, South America, Germany, Australia and neighbouring countries. 28 fake accounts found supporting US candidate At least 28 accounts on X shared videos supporting Haley Stevens in the Democratic Party’s Senate primary in Michigan, United States. The videos were viewed more than 70 lakh times. According to Al Jazeera, at least 15 of these accounts were posting from India. The accounts were identified by Anti-Bot4Navalny, a group that monitors online disinformation. Researchers at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub also confirmed the use of Indian accounts and pages in support of Stevens. However, Stevens lost the primary election. She was defeated by Abdul El-Sayed. Posts created for ₹600 a day during Kenya election According to Al Jazeera, 22-year-old Ahmedabad content creator Rajan Kumar created 50 posts in support of William Ruto during Kenya’s 2022 presidential election. He was paid $7 (around ₹600) per day for this. Rajan used to edit speeches by leaders opposed to Ruto and present them misleadingly. He created posters containing false claims in support of Ruto and spread messages questioning female leaders’ personal relationships in an effort to damage their reputations. He had to produce up to 100 posters and videos within a few days. The operation was run through a Telegram group. The posts were shared from other social media pages rather than Ruto’s official account. Ruto had won the election and taken office as president. They hide their identities using fake accounts and VPNs According to Al Jazeera, Indian consultancy firms buy old social media pages, create new accounts or rename existing pages and use them for election campaigns. These pages are used to share posts and videos that the candidate’s official team does not want to post from its own accounts. Under Meta and Google’s rules, political advertisers must disclose their identity and provide details of the person or organisation that paid for the advertisement. Meta also prohibits people from operating accounts under fake identities and from buying or selling accounts. However, Indian consultants told Al Jazeera that VPNs are used to evade these rules. This makes it possible to run political advertisements from India while showing a location in another country and reaching people there. Money is sent through hawala and foreign companies According to Al Jazeera, the money received for these election campaigns is also transferred covertly. Some consultants said that foreign companies are used to employ a person on paper for another job, while in reality the person is paid money for election campaigning. Several consultancy firms also send money through hawala. Under this system, money is delivered through agents based in different locations instead of through banks. Three consultants told some traders in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk where such transactions could be carried out. One consultant told Al Jazeera that he had seen payments worth lakhs of rupees being made using the special serial number of a ₹10 note. Work in Germany, Australia and neighbouring countries too According to Al Jazeera, Indian political consultants have also been involved in election campaigns in Germany, Australia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, apart from the United States and Africa. Amogh Dhar Sharma, who has written a book on political consultancy, said he found information during his research about Indian companies working in Germany and Australia. Delhi-based political consultant Tushar Giri said India’s experience in election campaigning was now attracting leaders from other countries as well. According to him, such campaigns can be run at a lower cost in India. Two Indian consultants working in Kenya murdered Two Indian consultants working on Ruto’s election campaign in Kenya, Zulfikar Ahmed Khan and Mohammed Zaid Sami Kidwai, went missing from Nairobi in July 2022. Their bodies were found in October. It was alleged that a special police unit in Kenya had abducted them. Fifteen police officers were charged with murder in the case. However, in August 2026, Kenya’s High Court dismissed the charges at the request of the state.