- India and Indonesia plan an MoU for customised Indian EVM exports
- Indonesia aims to introduce electronic voting in its 2029 elections, replacing paper ballots
- The cooperation includes election tech, capacity building, and exchange of best practices
Even as the Opposition continues to cast doubts on the efficacy of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in elections, India's key electoral reform continues to invite global recognition and demand.
The latest country interested in replicating the Indian EVM model is Indonesia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Jakarta for a crucial two-day visit to Indonesia.
Sources said India and Indonesia are set to deepen their partnership through an MoU on election management, alongside the export of customised Indian Electronic Voting Machines.
Indonesia, home to nearly 288 million people and the world's third-largest democracy, is turning to India for election technology, management expertise and institutional support to modernise its electoral system.
Until now, Indonesia votes on ballot papers in single-day elections to elect its president and lawmakers. The country aims to introduce e-voting from the 2029 elections.
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The agreement between India and Indonesia will promote cooperation in election technology, human resource development, capacity building and the exchange of best practices, sources said.
Officials from both sides have already exchanged visits to study India's EVM design, election supervision systems, voter awareness initiatives and digital tools for democratic governance.
During the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, officials from Indonesia's election commission were part of a multi-national team that came to observe the electoral process.
Talking about the experience, Indonesia Election Commissioner Idham Holik described it as "very inspiring". "Everyone could see that the elections were free and fair. India is truly a land of democracy," he said.
India has a long history of EVM use in elections. While the machines were first used in select elections in the late 1980s, it was in 2004 that EVMs were used across all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Indonesia is not the first country to show interest in Indian EVMs.
Bhutan was the first country to adopt customised Indian EVMs with technical assistance from India.
Nepal also received customised machines for pilot use along with institutional support.
Namibia became India's first commercial success story, using Indian-made EVMs in its national elections and later adopting Indian VVPAT units as well.
