In a bizarre twist of politics and technology, NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar has landed in legal trouble after using a fake Aadhaar card made in the name of former US President Donald Trump to demonstrate how identity fraud could be weaponised in Indian elections.
According to Mumbai Police officials, Pawar showcased during an October 16 briefing how easily fake Aadhaar cards could be generated using an online platform. His goal, he claimed, was to highlight the &ldquo;deep flaws&rdquo; in the voter registration system and the alleged large-scale voter manipulation taking place in Maharashtra.
However, the stunt quickly escalated beyond satire. After BJP&rsquo;s Dhananjay Wagaskar, co-convener of the party&rsquo;s social media cell, viewed the demonstration on YouTube, he filed a police complaint accusing Pawar of making &ldquo;false and inflammatory claims&rdquo; against BJP leaders. The Mumbai Cyber Police subsequently registered an FIR on Tuesday against two unidentified individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act for forgery, identity theft, and spreading misinformation. Investigators say the fake Aadhaar website could mislead citizens, erode trust in government institutions, and &ldquo;create social discord.&rdquo;
Pawar, meanwhile, defended his act as a whistleblower effort, saying he only wanted to expose how easily bogus voter IDs could be created. &ldquo;If such fake cards can be generated in the name of Donald Trump, imagine how many ghost voters exist here,&rdquo; he said, reiterating claims of mass duplication and deletion of voter names across Maharashtra. The NCP (SP) leader also cited official figures, alleging that voter additions jumped from 32 lakh between 2019 and 2024 to nearly 48 lakh within just six months before the upcoming Assembly polls, calling it &ldquo;statistically impossible without manipulation.&rdquo;
In his Karjat Jamkhed constituency, Pawar claimed over 14,000 new voters were added and nearly 14,000 duplicates inserted, even as genuine names were deleted. Police said a probe is underway to trace the creators of the fraudulent Aadhaar website and examine whether it was used to tamper with voter databases.
What began as a political expos&eacute; has now turned into a criminal investigation and Pawar&rsquo;s &lsquo;Trump Aadhaar&rsquo; may end up being a cautionary tale on how political theatre and cybersecurity don&rsquo;t always mix.

Rohit Pawar’s ‘Trump Aadhaar’ Demo Backfires

NCP (SP) leader faces FIR after using fake Trump Aadhaar to expose voter fraud

Rohit Pawar’s ‘Trump Aadhaar’ Demo Backfires

NCP (SP) leader faces FIR after using fake Trump Aadhaar to expose voter fraud

October 30, 2025 | 16:21 IST