The software was created by students from the Webops and Blockchain Club (W&BC) at the Centre for Innovation (CFI) at IIT Madras, which is India’s largest student-run ’24/7 innovation lab’. The club is committed to leveraging technology to drive positive social change.
Recognizing the critical role of voting technology in democracy, the students focused on enhancing the current technical infrastructure for voting within their college.
Professor Prabhu Rajagopal, who serves as the Advisor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, along with Anirudh Varna, a fourth-year BTech student, and Vijayaraja R, a second-year MS (Entrepreneurship) student, all from IIT Madras, are the co-founders of the in-house startup Plenome. This startup has successfully commercialized the technology in question.
Plenome’s software is now being used by both government and private entities to manage land and health records.
The pioneering blockchain-based student council election in India started with a vision by the W&BC students at IIT Madras.
Blockchain technology, known for its decentralized and immutable characteristics, proved revolutionary for election processes. Its main advantage is its ability to protect the integrity of elections, ensuring they are secure and free from manipulation.
In contrast to traditional methods, blockchain employs a shared, immutable ledger that is maintained across a network of nodes, offering heightened trust and accountability for each transaction.
Anirudh said that blockchain-based software facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a network of decentralized computers.
“Blockchain systems operate over a vast network of computers spread widely geographically and can only be compromised if a majority of these systems simultaneously mount an attack, which is nearly impossible to coordinate,” He also said that blockchain systems are run across a huge network of computers across a large geography and can be tampered with only if a majority of systems attack the operations simultaneously, which is virtually impossible for any entity to orchestrate.
Besides these, he said that moreover once transactions are recorded on a blockchain network, they become permanent and cannot be altered by any one party.
Beyond the excellent security, this technology can also reduce the costs associated with conducting elections. Anirudh observed a notable decrease in expenses during the most recent student elections at IIT Madras compared to earlier systems.
He mentioned that they believe that at a national level, their system could significantly cut costs by making remote voting possible eventually.
Blockchain decentralizes power and eliminates single points of failure, providing redundancy, traceability, transparency, and immutability—key elements needed to secure and maintain integrity within an election system. This reduces the risk of tampering and manipulation, thereby enhancing trust among all stakeholders.