India, Indonesia to Sign MoU on EVM Export During PM Modi Visit

India and Indonesia are expected to deepen cooperation in election management through a proposed agreement that could include the export of customised Indian Electronic Voting Machines, according to sources. The development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Jakarta for a two-day trip, with electoral technology expected to form part of the broader discussions between the two countries.

Indonesia, which has a population of nearly 288 million and is the world’s third-largest democracy, currently uses paper ballots for its single-day elections to choose the president and lawmakers. The country is reportedly exploring the introduction of electronic voting from the 2029 elections and is looking to India for technology, election management expertise and institutional support.

Sources said the two countries are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding covering election technology, human resource development, capacity building and the exchange of best practices. The proposed cooperation could also involve customised Indian EVMs designed to meet Indonesia’s electoral requirements as the country considers modernising its voting system.

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Officials from India and Indonesia have already exchanged visits to study election administration and technology. Indonesian representatives have examined India’s EVM design, election supervision systems, voter awareness programmes and digital tools used in democratic governance. During the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, officials from Indonesia’s election commission were part of a multinational team that observed the electoral process.

Indonesia Election Commissioner Idham Holik later described the experience of observing the Bihar polls as inspiring and praised the conduct of the elections. India has used EVMs for several decades, beginning with limited deployment in select elections in the late 1980s. The machines were used across all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies for the first time in the 2004 general election.

Indonesia would not be the first country to adopt or test Indian voting technology. Bhutan previously introduced customised Indian EVMs with technical assistance from India, while Nepal received machines for pilot use and institutional support. Namibia became the first commercial user of Indian-made EVMs for national elections and later also adopted Indian Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail units.

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