By NewsTrustIndia.com Staff, June 12, 2025, 04:07 AM IST, New Delhi
India, now the world’s fourth-largest economy with a $4.1 trillion GDP (International Monetary Fund, 2024), stands at a historic crossroads. The 2024 general elections, with 968 million eligible voters, recorded a mere 65.8% turnout, down from 67.4% in 2019 (Election Commission of India), leaving 330 million voters—surpassing the electorates of the US (240 million), Indonesia (193 million), and Brazil (147 million)—disengaged. As India aims to secure a top-three economic rank by 2029, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), facial recognition technology (FRT), and mobile telephony can revolutionize electoral participation, particularly for women, people below the poverty line (BPL), and reserved category populations (SC/ST, OBC, minorities). By partnering with leading public companies, these technologies can drive inclusive policymaking, empowering the underprivileged and cementing India’s global leadership.
2024 Elections: A Call for Transformation
The 2024 polls faced significant challenges, with an ECI report citing post-COVID fears, crowded polling stations, and widespread disillusionment as key turnout barriers. A 2024 Centre for the Study of Developing Societies survey revealed 38% of non-voters, particularly in rural and BPL communities, felt “politically alienated.” The digital divide, with 42% of rural households lacking internet access (Digital India, 2024), disproportionately impacted SC/ST, OBC, and Muslim voters, limiting access to online registration and voter awareness.
AI and IoT: Redefining Electoral Engagement
AI transformed the 2024 elections, with political parties leveraging predictive analytics to enhance campaign reach by 12% (Observer Research Foundation, 2025). The ECI’s AI-driven voter verification reduced errors by 18%. By 2029, AI could personalize voter outreach through targeted messaging, potentially increasing turnout by 10% (NITI Aayog, 2025). IoT-powered solutions, such as smart kiosks and mobile apps, could reduce polling queue times by 25% (McKinsey India, 2025), while remote voting options could engage migrant workers, who skipped 15% of 2024 polls (ECI). These technologies enable real-time voter feedback, ensuring policies reflect grassroots priorities like rural healthcare and employment, critical for India’s economic ascent.
Mobile Telephony and IoT: Empowering Women and BPL Voters
India’s 1.15 billion mobile subscribers (TRAI, 2024) make mobile telephony a powerful tool for electoral inclusion. A 2024 UN Women India report noted that 70% of rural women own mobile phones, enabling voter education through SMS, WhatsApp, and IoT-enabled apps. Rajasthan’s 2024 pilot, using IoT platforms for real-time polling updates, boosted female turnout by 4%. For BPL voters (21% of the population, NITI Aayog, 2024) and SC/ST communities, mobile-based OTP voting and IoT kiosks in remote areas could reduce access barriers, with a 2025 Brookings India study projecting a 7% turnout increase by 2029. Women-only IoT voting apps and secure polling booths could add 40 million female voters, particularly from SC/ST (32% of female electorate) and Muslim communities, overcoming patriarchal barriers and low literacy (58% among rural SC women, NFHS-5).
Facial Recognition: Ensuring Trust and Inclusion
FRT, exemplified by DigiYatra’s success (12 million users, 2024), could revolutionize voter authentication, cutting wait times by 35% and curbing fraud, reported in 4% of 2024 booths (NASSCOM, 2025). For SC/ST, OBC, and BPL voters, FRT-linked voter IDs reduce booth intimidation, a barrier for 25% of these groups (CSDS, 2024). Telangana’s 2022 e-voting pilot in Hyderabad’s municipal elections, using the ‘Chunavana’ app with FRT and OTP verification, demonstrated feasibility (TechPolicy.Press, 2024). Karnataka’s 2023 assembly election pilot further refined this model, though concerns about false negatives persist. Estonia’s e-voting system (32% online turnout, 2023) offers a blueprint, but 62% of Indians fear biometric data misuse (PRS Legislative Research, 2025), necessitating stringent safeguards.
Policy Transformation for the Underprivileged
India’s economic rise demands policies rooted in the needs of SC/ST, OBC, Muslim, and BPL populations. Mobile telephony and IoT amplify these voices through accessible voting platforms. In 2024, mobile campaigns in Uttar Pradesh increased SC turnout by 5% (ECI), informing a 12% MGNREGA wage hike (Ministry of Rural Development, 2024). IoT kiosks can collect real-time voter feedback, shaping schemes like Ayushman Bharat, which covered 50 million BPL families in 2024. FRT ensures accurate voter identification, addressing documentation issues affecting 10% of SC/ST voters (CSDS, 2024). AI-driven analytics can tackle gaps like the 40% dropout rate among OBC girls (NFHS-5), driving initiatives like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (3% literacy boost, 2024). By 2029, an 8% turnout rise for reserved categories could align policies with caste, gender, and economic equity, reducing infrastructure losses (2% of GDP, World Bank, 2025) and propelling India past Germany ($4.6 trillion GDP).
Public Companies Leading the Charge
Several Indian public companies are well-positioned to drive this electoral transformation, leveraging their expertise in AI, IoT, FRT, and mobile telephony:
1 Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL): As a leading public-sector undertaking, BEL has been instrumental in manufacturing Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) since the 1980s. Its expertise in secure hardware and IoT integration positions it to develop FRT-enabled voting kiosks and mobile-based OTP systems. BEL’s collaboration with the ECI on VVPAT systems demonstrates its capacity to ensure electoral integrity (ResearchGate, 2023).
2 Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL): Another key EVM manufacturer, ECIL has the technical prowess to integrate IoT and FRT into electoral systems. Its experience with secure voting infrastructure could support the development of mobile-based voter verification apps, ensuring accessibility for BPL and rural voters (ResearchGate, 2023).
3 RailTel Corporation of India: RailTel’s expertise in high-speed internet and IoT infrastructure, including FRT deployment at Bengaluru’s railway station in 2020 (Software Freedom Law Center, 2024), makes it a strong candidate for building nationwide IoT voting networks. Its work on 5G connectivity could bridge the rural digital divide, critical for SC/ST and BPL inclusion.
4 Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT): C-DOT’s indigenous FRT systems, deployed at its Delhi campus and DOT offices in 2023 (MediaNama, 2023), showcase its ability to develop secure, scalable solutions. Its telecom expertise could enhance mobile-based voter outreach for women and minorities.
5 National Informatics Centre (NIC): NIC’s role in developing digital platforms like DigiYatra and Aadhaar-based systems positions it to integrate FRT and IoT into voter registration and authentication. Its cloud-based Meghraj platform, handling 6.86 crore AI service requests in 2022–23, could support secure electoral data management (MediaNama, 2023).
These companies, with their proven track records in public-sector technology projects, can collaborate with the ECI to deploy secure, consent-based FRT ecosystems, as advocated by NITI Aayog’s 2024 White Paper on Responsible AI (Vision IAS, 2024). Their involvement ensures transparency and accountability, addressing privacy concerns raised by 62% of Indians (PRS Legislative Research, 2025).
Challenges and Ethical Safeguards
AI’s misinformation risks (25% of 2024 ads flagged, Centre for Internet and Society), IoT’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities (8% EVM glitches, 2024), and FRT’s potential for data misuse require robust safeguards. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 offers limited oversight due to state exemptions (Software Freedom Law Center, 2024). Rural connectivity gaps demand ₹40,000 crore investment (NITI Aayog). An independent ethical committee, transparent data protocols, and compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 are essential to protect SC/ST, OBC, and Muslim voters’ trust in a $4.1 trillion economy.
The Road to 2029
The 2024 elections highlight India’s democratic urgency. AI, IoT, FRT, and mobile telephony, driven by public companies like BEL, ECIL, RailTel, C-DOT, and NIC, can make voting inclusive, empowering women, BPL, and reserved category voters to shape policies on jobs, healthcare, and education. An 85% turnout by 2029 could add 0.4% to GDP (World Bank, 2025), propelling India to a top-three economic rank and global democratic leadership.
Sources: ECI (2024), CSDS (2024), Digital India (2024), IMF (2024), TRAI (2024), Observer Research Foundation (2025), NITI Aayog (2024, 2025), McKinsey India (2025), NASSCOM (2025), PRS Legislative Research (2025), UN Women India (2024, 2025), Brookings India (2025), World Bank (2025), NFHS-5 (2019–20), Ministry of Social Justice (2024), Ministry of Rural Development (2024), Ayushman Bharat (2024), Estonian Electoral Commission (2023), TechPolicy.Press (2024), Software Freedom Law Center (2024), MediaNama (2023), Vision IAS (2024), ResearchGate (2023).
