For decades, an expert consensus has quietly worked to exclude politicians from regulating digital policy — a libertarian attitude that distrusts the state’s heavy hand but hails the feather touch of technocrats. The argument is that this prevents “politicisation” and ensures policy continuity across election cycles. It’s clear now that such a stance is not only unsustainable, but also anti-democratic. In the last five years, the intensive spread of digitisation has turned technology into a mediator of power and access. Online platforms, smartphones, telecommunication networks and data centres are part of the lives of ordinary Indians. As the general elections draw closer, what can political parties offer to voters in their manifestos?

Five years ago, as Indians cast their votes, technology was merely an afterthought. Apart from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC), few parties paid significant attention to or offered commentary on it. The BJP highlighted technology as a catalyst for economic and social goals, including enhanced delivery of entitlements and increased farm incomes, but confined its comments on digitisation to boosting gram panchayat connectivity.

In contrast, the INC outlined more ambitious digital rights reforms, addressing access, free expression, and privacy in a dedicated section. Beyond these, five parties........

© Indian Express