BENGALURU: Karnataka police’s special investigation team probing the alleged voter deletion scam in Aland constituency during the 2023 assembly polls has reportedly uncovered evidence of attempts to remove names from the electoral rolls, and identified six suspects.Sleuths said deletions were carried out at a cyber centre in Aland, where operators were allegedly paid Rs 80 per application. SIT sources said they suspect accused paid Rs 4.8 lakh to those who facilitated the deletions. Officials are probing how the centre gained access to EC’s portal to file fake voter deletion requests. The probe was carried out by CID cyber crime unit before SIT took over. “At least 6,000 votes have been allegedly deleted,” a CID official said.
Deletions took place using VoIP between Dec 2022 & Feb 2023
According to CID sources, preliminary findings show that the deletions took place between Dec 2022 and Feb 2023 using voice over internet protocol (VoIP). “There were requests to delete 6,994 votes. While a few were genuine, most were bogus. The applications allegedly targeted Dalit and minority voters. The deletions were halted after the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) ordered a status quo,” CID officials said. The irregularities have been traced to local resident Mohammed Ashfaq, who was questioned in Feb 2023 and let off. He is currently in Dubai and a blue corner notice is being processed to locate him.Aland, part of Kalaburagi district, is represented by Congress MLA B R Patil. He along with Kalaburagi district minister Priyank Kharge were the first to flag the irregularities to the CEO. The Congress govt later formed the SIT, headed by Additional Director General of Police B K Singh, after Rahul Gandhi raised allegations of vote theft in Aland— the home turf of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.Reacting to the reports, Priyank Kharge posted on X: “Voters deleted for just Rs 80 in Aland. The latest findings from the Karnataka SIT confirm what we’ve been saying all along, over 6,000 genuine voters were struck off the rolls through a paid operation ahead of the 2023 elections in Aland. A full-fledged data centre was operating out of Kalaburagi, where operators were systematically deleting voters’ names and tampering with our democratic process. All investigations now point to foul play by BJP functionaries and their associates. Every dirty trick and modus operandi from the BJP’s #VoteChori playbook will be exposed, and every single person responsible will be held accountable and put behind bars.”On Oct 17, SIT searched the residences of former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar, his sons, and their chartered accountant Mallikarjun Mahantagol, seizing seven laptops and several mobile phones.Following the revelations, Congress accused the BJP of vote theft, calling it a direct assault on democracy. “The truth about the BJP’s vote theft is now before the country. The cost of deleting a vote was Rs 80. This exposé pertains to just one assembly seat. This ‘vote theft’ by BJP is a direct attack on democracy—where the rights of the poor and marginalised are being snatched, and their voices suppressed,” the party posted on X.Aland MLA BR Patil said he is unaware of the headway made by SIT and declined to comment, adding, “SIT is moving in the right direction.”
