Shadowy Indian election ‘consultants’ add US midterms to global footprint

Executive Briefing

According to reporting by Al Jazeera International, India's election consultants are exporting covert campaign tactics to manipulate elections worldwide, including the US.

Detailed Factual Report

India’s political consultancies grow by covertly managing the world’s biggest elections. Now, they are exporting the dirty tricks to manipulate global elections, like the US midterms.

New Delhi, India — In an unfurnished flat in a nondescript Ahmedabad neighbourhood in western India, a 22-year-old digital content creator worked through the nights, designing posters and editing videos for a presidential campaign thousands of kilometres away — William Ruto’s 2022 bid for the presidency in Kenya.

Rajan Kumar’s content was not shared by Ruto’s official campaign. Instead, the 50 social media posts he created for $7 a day were shared on shadow social media accounts that conceal their identity to make coordinated messaging appear independent while backing Ruto’s campaign.

For content, Kumar said he would trim opposing leaders’ speeches or interviews to twist their statements, or create posters with false claims amplifying Ruto’s prospects and popularity ahead of the election.

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Information in this article was compiled directly from records provided by Al Jazeera International. Access the primary source document at: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/11/2/shadowy-indian-election-consultants-add-us-midterms-to-global-footprint?traffic_source=rss. Reporting and editorial review conducted by the USA NOW News Desk.