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Jammu: Omar seeks EC clarification on US funds for voter turnout in India
The US Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, recently announced a series of expenditure cuts, including $21 million allocated for “voter turnout in India”.
Amid reports that the US spent $21 million for “voter turnout in India”, chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the Election Commission should come clean and clarify its stand. Responding to media queries here at Jammu University, Omar said, “If such a thing has cropped up, the EC should clarify.”
He opposed “foreign interference” in the country’s democratic exercise. “There should be no foreign interference. So far, there is no evidence of it. The Election Commission must clarify whether foreign interference had taken place in our elections because till date we believed that our elections were free and fair,” the CM said.
US President Donald Trump recently questioned the need to spend money on voter turnout in India. Trump also speculated that the previous Biden administration was attempting to “get somebody else elected” in the country.
“It is up to the US. The aid is there’s and it is up to them... whom they want to give to or not. It is not our decision,” the chief minister said.
The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, recently announced a series of expenditure cuts, including $21 million allocated for “voter turnout in India”.
