Indian Political Consultancies Manipulate Global Elections via Shadow Campaigns

Indian political consultancies are expanding global operations by managing covert social media campaigns to manipulate foreign elections, including the 2026 United States midterms. Researchers from Clemson University and the group Antibot4Navalny identified Indian-based bots and accounts that used shadow-posting to support Democratic politician Haley Stevens during a Michigan Senate primary.

Tushar Giri and other consultants utilize shadow pages on Meta and Google to bypass transparency rules, employing VPNs and fake identities to hide their footprints. The industry operates as a form of political outsourcing, with consultants admitting to the use of black money via hawala networks to fund these operations. Giri described the process as a direct manipulation of elections, claiming the concept of electoral democracy is overrated.

Similar tactics were deployed during Kenya's 2022 presidential election. Digital content creators produced deceptive media to support William Ruto, including campaigns specifically designed to discredit female politicians by linking them to others to damage their reputations. The Kenyan operation ended in violence when consultants Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai were abducted and killed. However, Kenya's High Court terminated charges against the accused officers in August 2026.