Rahul Chimanbhai Mehta

Rahul Chimanbhai Mehta is an Indian software engineer engineer and socio-political activist associated with campaigns on electoral and democratic reforms in India. He is the founder of the Right to Recall Party and has been involved in advocacy related to the Right to Recall of elected representatives. He has also been a public critic of the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Indian elections, a position that has received media attention as well as responses from election authorities.

 Early life and education 
Mehta is the son of Chimanbhai Mehta, a former Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He completed a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. In 1990, he moved to the United States, where he pursued postgraduate studies at Rutgers University, New Jersy, and worked as a software engineer for several years.

In 1999, he returned to India and subsequently became involved in civic and political activism focused on democratic accountability and governance reforms.

 Activism and political work 

 Right to Recall movement 
Mehta has been associated with advocacy for Right to Recall laws since the early 2000s. In 2006, he founded an organisation known as the Right to Recall Group, which campaigned for legal provisions that would allow voters to remove elected representatives before the completion of their term. His activities related to this cause have included public meetings, written proposals, and participation in electoral processes to highlight the issue.

The idea of Right to Recall has periodically appeared in Indian political discourse, particularly at the level of local self-governance in some states. Mehta and organisations associated with him have advocated for extending such provisions to state and national offices.

 Formation of the Right to Recall Party 
In 2019, Mehta co-founded the Right to Recall Party, a registered but unrecognised political party in India. The party contested the 2019 Indian general election, fielding candidates in multiple Lok Sabha constituencies across the country, though none were elected. The party has since participated in subsequent elections, including state assembly elections, as part of its efforts to promote electoral reforms and its core policy positions.

 Views on electronic voting machines 
Mehta has been a critic of the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in Indian elections. Since at least 2019, he has publicly argued that EVM–VVPAT systems could be vulnerable to manipulation, and has presented demonstrations using what he has described as a model of an Indian voting machine.

These claims attracted wider public and media attention during the period leading up to the 2024 Indian general election, when demonstrations and videos associated with his views were circulated by activists, lawyers, and political figures. Opposition leaders cited these demonstrations while raising questions about the reliability of EVMs in public forums.

The Election Commission of India (ECI), including former Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, has rejected allegations of EVM tampering and described such demonstrations as misleading. The ECI has maintained that Indian EVMs are secure and tamper-proof, and has issued public statements responding to claims raised by Mehta and others.

 Allegations and responses 
Media reports have at times raised allegations concerning funding received by organisations associated with Mehta, including claims related to foreign contributions and electoral bonds. Mehta has denied these allegations. Reports by the Election Commission of India and subsequent journalistic investigations have included the Right to Recall Party among several registered but unrecognised political parties referenced in broader discussions on political funding in India.

 Publications 
Mehta has authored books related to political reform and electoral accountability, including:

 Praja Adheen Raja (2009)

 Vote Vapsi Dhan Vapsi (2020)

 References 

Category:Indian activists