Datanomics: How India measures up on electoral integrity, public trust

In the Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index, India lagged behind seven other top global economies , excluding China and Russia

The ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have brought renewed attention to India’s performance on electoral integrity and public trust. In the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI), India’s performance on Free and Fair Elections and Commitment to Democratic Institutions worsened in 2025 compared to 10 years ago. In the Perceptions of Electoral Integrity (PEI) Index, India lagged behind seven other top global economies , excluding China and Russia.  

However, domestic surveys paint a different picture. In the CSDS post-Lok Sabha poll survey in 2024, the Election Commission of India (ECI) emerged as the second most-trusted institution.