US President Donald Trump, referring to India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, talked about implementing a new act in America. In fact, on Tuesday, Trump once again reiterated his demand for mandatory photo identity card for voters in America.
Trump said in a post on the social media platform Truth Social that India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had recently questioned the US administration as to how elections could be conducted in America without a valid photo ID.
What did Donald Trump write in his social media post?
Trump wrote in his post, “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar asked our administration – How can elections be held in America without a valid photo ID?” Trump also gave the example of India’s last Lok Sabha election. He said that 64.6 crore voters had voted in the general elections of India and less than 1 percent of them voted through post. According to Trump, a valid photo identity card was necessary for every voter in India.
In this context, Trump demanded early passage of the SAVE America Act in America. “We need to pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT now,” he said.
What is the SAVE America Act?
The full name of SAVE America Act is Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act. The legislation proposes to require people registering as voters in federal elections to provide proof of US citizenship and a valid ID. There is also a proposal in this law to limit voting through post. However, exceptions are proposed to be made in certain circumstances such as illness, disability, military service and travel.
Under the proposed law, states will also have to make arrangements to remove the names of non-US citizens from the voter list. The White House has supported this law. The administration argues that only American citizens should have the right to vote in US federal elections.
Has the example been given before?
Citing the example of India and Brazil, the US administration has said that in these countries voter identification has been linked to the biometric system. The administration argues that America does not have a uniform system regarding voter identification across the country. Donald Trump has been emphasizing the need for the SAVE America Act for a long time. He says that this law will help in preventing election fraud, which he has been repeatedly mentioning.
Was there opposition to this bill?
The SAVE America Act was introduced in the US Congress on January 29. However, political obstacles remain in the way of its passage. Democrats and Republicans have different opinions regarding many provisions of this proposed law. There are differences between the two sides, especially regarding strict identity and citizenship related conditions. Opponents are concerned that these rules could impact people’s access to voting rights.
How much do you know about Gyanesh Kumar?
- Gyanesh Kumar is currently the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He is the first person to be appointed to this post under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. Before this, he has worked as Election Commissioner and has also been an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
- Born on 27 January 1964 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Gyanesh Kumar studied BTech from IIT Kanpur. After this he studied Business Finance from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India. He further studied Environmental Economics from Harvard University.
- Gyanesh Kumar is a retired IAS officer of Kerala cadre of 1988 batch. During administrative service, he worked on many important posts. Between 2007 and 2012, he held the responsibility of Joint Secretary in the Department of Defense Production of the Ministry of Defence.
- Apart from this, he also held the post of Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Co-operation.
- Gyanesh Kumar was also a part of a big administrative work related to Jammu and Kashmir. He played a role in the process of drafting the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act. Through this law, the special autonomous status given to Jammu and Kashmir was abolished.
- In January 2020, he was given responsibility in the Home Ministry. Here he played a role in the work related to the establishment of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra. This organization oversees the construction and management of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
- Gyanesh Kumar was appointed the Chief Election Commissioner of India on 19 February 2025. Before this he had also worked as Election Commissioner.
In which controversy was Gyanesh Kumar embroiled?
In August 2025, Gyanesh Kumar came to the center of a major political controversy regarding the Indian electoral system. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged massive electoral irregularities in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He also accused the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Giving the example of Mahadevapura assembly seat in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi claimed that votes were manipulated there in different ways. According to him, this included 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 voters with fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 voters with large number of voters registered at their addresses, 4,132 voters with invalid photographs and 33,692 voters associated with alleged misuse of Form 6.