Digital Rhythms in Dance of Democracy

Assam goes to poll today to elect a new 126-member state assembly that will make laws to govern the people over the next five years. The single-phase polling happening after a gap of 25 years marks a departure from multi-phase polling conducted over the past two and half decades. General elections not only bring opportunities for electors to choose their candidates of choice, but they also create conditions for improving election management through technology upgradation. Eight foreign delegates from seven countries under the International Election Visitors’ Programme (IEVP) 2026 launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) visiting the state to witness firsthand preparation and conduct of elections has opened a window for the state to showcase the strengths of Indian elections and best practices adopted for the democratic exercise in a free and fair manner to the international community, as envisaged by the ECI. The high-voltage campaign by the ruling alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and the six-party opposition alliance of Congress, the Assam Jatiya Parishad, the Raijor Dal, the All Party Hill Leaders Conference, the CPI(M), the CPI(ML) and two other political parties – the United People’s Party, the Liberal All India United Democratic Front and the All India Trinamool Congress, which went alone – has created enthusiasm among their supporters. Unprecedented use of digital media by parties and candidates for electioneering kept the social media users deeply engaged in poll talk, debates and discussions across digital platforms. Abuse of artificial intelligence to malign leaders and candidates by generating deepfake videos, doctored audio clips, and fabricated messages reflected a dangerous trend of misleading electors. This calls for stronger electoral reforms and enforcement to curb abuse of digital technology and AI to sabotage free-and-fair elections. Electors listen to leaders of political parties and candidates nominated by political parties as well as independent candidates and poll promises to make informed electoral choices. Election campaign rallies and roadshows facilitate a direct interface between candidates and electors, but virtual campaigns run on social media platforms are clouded by inaccurate and deceptive content and unverified information. Digital distortions of narratives and deceptive content spreading during the run-up to the polls in the state are a cause for grave concern, and if not checked and curbed with effective legal measures, they risk weakening the democratic exercise and depriving electors of their rights to make an informed electoral choice to elect their own representatives. The algorithm- and keyword-driven election campaign across digital platforms spread like wildfire, and by the time the fake content is detected and circulated among the electors, the damage is already done. Secondly, while offline campaigns are conducted within the territorial jurisdiction of the state, the online campaign can be remotely managed from any part of the world, which poses hurdles before the Election Commission to effectively curb the spread of misinformation. The application of AI in the creation and circulation of such content, witnessed in this election, has pressed the alarm bell for creating new and effective safeguards to protect the core of the democratic exercise. It will be wiser for the electors to ignore the malicious and deceptive content they came across on digital platforms and make correct electoral choices for stability, peace and development that are vital for the accelerated progress of the state. In sharp contrast to abuse of digital technology by some political leaders and their supporters, the EC adopting the digital technology for reaching out to voters for building awareness and making best use of social media platforms to reach out to young and first-time voters highlights the opportunities the digital and social media present in strengthening the election process towards strengthening Indian democracy. Equipping each polling station with a live webcasting facility is a gigantic leap in digital technology adoption to make the entire polling process more transparent, which is critical for boosting confidence among the new and young voters who play the crucial role in the election of new representatives. It also reflects the state election authorities building capabilities to transform electoral exercise in the future and technology-ready. Adoption of digital technology for better management of elections this time in Assam and four other states that are going to polls this month will pave the way for serious debates and discussions on exploring the possibility of electronic voting to facilitate migrant electors of the state casting votes without the burden of incurring heavy travel expenditure to return home. When keyboard warriors of political parties were busy spreading their campaign to influence electoral choices, the use of digital technology in election management has triggered fresh hopes for leveraging AI and other technology by all stakeholders, including parties and candidates, to make elections forward-looking for strengthening Indian democracy. The responsibility to ensure a transformative application of digital technology in shaping a free-and-genuine electoral mandate lies with 2.5 crore electors who will be casting votes today.