Rahul Gandhi Alleges Mass Voter Deletion in Karnataka

RR Team

3 months ago

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a fresh attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that voter IDs were systematically deleted during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections. Gandhi claimed that the deletions were carried out using fake logins and phone numbers from outside the state, describing the process as a “centralised software operation” rather than random manipulation.

Addressing the media in New Delhi, Gandhi held up a copy of the Indian Constitution and accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those behind the alleged irregularities. “They are protecting the murderers of our democracy,” he said, adding that the deletions mainly targeted voters aligned with the Opposition. He alleged that similar attempts were being made across India.

EC Denies Allegations

The Election Commission strongly refuted the charges, calling Gandhi’s claims “incorrect” and “baseless.” The poll body clarified that “no deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public” and that any such action requires an opportunity for the affected person to be heard.

The Commission further revealed that in 2023, unsuccessful attempts to delete electors were made in Aland Assembly Constituency. An FIR was filed by the ECI itself to probe the matter. It added that the constituency had seen victories from both BJP (2018) and Congress (2023), countering Gandhi’s claim that deletions targeted only Congress strongholds.

Rahul Gandhi’s Specific Claims

Gandhi cited a case in Aland where 6,018 votes were allegedly deleted. He said the irregularities came to light when a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s vote missing and questioned her neighbor, who appeared as the “applicant” for deletion but denied any knowledge. “Neither the person whose vote was deleted nor the one who allegedly deleted it knew anything about it,” Gandhi said.

He claimed that Karnataka CID had written 18 times to the Election Commission seeking technical data such as IP addresses and OTP trails but received no cooperation. “This is solid proof that the CEC is protecting the operation,” Gandhi asserted.

Political Reactions

The allegations sparked a political storm. BJP MP Anurag Thakur dismissed Gandhi’s claims as “frustration,” pointing out that Congress had lost nearly 90 percent of the elections under his leadership. “It has become a routine for Rahul Gandhi to make baseless allegations and face court reprimands,” Thakur said.

The issue has gained traction ahead of upcoming state elections, with opposition parties calling for greater transparency in the electoral process. Meanwhile, the ECI maintains that its systems are robust and immune to manipulation.