NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has escalated his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the poll body is actively protecting those involved in a large-scale attempt to rig elections. In a press conference, Gandhi claimed to have “solid proof” of a systematic, software-driven operation that led to the attempted deletion of 6,018 voters from Congress strongholds in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 state assembly polls.
Gandhi’s primary accusation is that the ECI is stonewalling an ongoing investigation by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He stated that the CID has sent 18 letters over the past 18 months, requesting crucial technical data, including OTP trails, destination ports, and destination IP addresses from where the fraudulent voter deletion forms were filled. According to Gandhi, the ECI’s refusal to provide this information shows that it is “defending murderers of democracy.” He demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar release the data within a week, warning that if he fails to do so, “India’s youth will start believing that CEC is siding with vote thieves.”
“Black and White” Proof of Systematic Voter Deletion
To support his claims, Rahul Gandhi presented a series of examples, which he called “another milestone in demonstrating to the youth of this country how elections are being rigged.” He showcased how a booth-level officer in Aland discovered that her uncle’s vote had been deleted based on a complaint filed by her neighbor, who denied any knowledge of the complaint.
Gandhi also presented two individuals, Suryakant and Godabai, whose names were allegedly used to file multiple deletion forms without their knowledge. He highlighted specific instances that, he argued, point to a centralized, automated operation:
- 12 Deletions in 14 Minutes: Complainant Suryakant allegedly filed 12 deletion forms in just 14 minutes, a feat Gandhi claimed is impossible for a person to do manually.
- Two Applications in 36 Seconds: Another individual, Nagraj, supposedly filed two applications in just 36 seconds at 4:07 am, an unusual speed and timing that suggests the use of software.
- Targeting First Voters: Gandhi’s presentation showed that in many cases, the first voter in each booth was picked as the “complainant,” indicating the use of a programmed software to target specific voters.
The Congress leader claimed that this operation systematically targets millions of voters across the country who typically vote for the Opposition, including Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities.
ECI Rebuts Allegations, Calls Them “Baseless”
In a statement, the ECI dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as “incorrect and baseless.” The poll body clarified that no voter deletion can be done online by any member of the public and that a vote cannot be removed from the rolls without following due process, which includes a hearing for the affected person. The ECI also pointed out that it was the commission itself that filed a First Information Report (FIR) in February 2023 to investigate the unsuccessful attempts at voter deletion in Aland.
This is not the first time Gandhi has accused the ECI of “vote theft.” In August, he alleged that 100,250 “stolen” votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bengaluru helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He had presented a list of duplicate voters, those with fake addresses, and other irregularities. In response to those allegations, the ECI had asked him to provide a signed declaration and oath to substantiate his claims.