Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday intensified his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging a “systematic” deletion of voters from Congress strongholds during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election.
Speaking at a press conference, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed that thousands of names were struck off the rolls in a coordinated operation using fake logins and phone numbers traced to locations outside the state. He alleged the exercise was not the work of individuals alone but was carried out through software in a centralised manner.
“In election after election, a group of people has been targeting millions of voters across India — especially communities supporting the Opposition,” Gandhi said. “We have 100 per cent proof of this. I love my country, I love the Constitution, and I’m protecting the democratic process. I will not make any statement that isn’t backed by evidence.”
EC Dismisses Allegations as “Baseless”
Sources within the Election Commission dismissed the charges as “incorrect and baseless.” They clarified that voter deletions cannot be done online by members of the public and that no name can be removed without giving the affected person a chance to be heard.
“In 2023, some unsuccessful attempts were made to delete electors in the Aland Assembly constituency,” a senior official said. “An FIR was filed by the Commission itself to investigate the matter.” The EC also pointed out that Aland was won by the BJP’s Subhadh Guttedar in 2018 and by Congress candidate B.R. Patil in 2023.
6,000 Votes Targeted in Aland, Says Gandhi
Detailing one case from Aland in north Karnataka, Gandhi claimed that 6,018 votes were nearly deleted before being discovered by chance. According to him, a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s name missing from the rolls and traced the deletion to her neighbour’s account — though the neighbour denied making any such request.
“In Aland, 6,018 applications were filed impersonating voters. The people whose names were removed had no idea these forms were submitted,” Gandhi said.
CID Letters and Data Access Row
Gandhi also criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of withholding crucial data sought by the Karnataka Crime Investigation Department (CID). He said the agency had sent 18 letters over the past 18 months requesting details such as the IP addresses and one-time password (OTP) trails linked to the alleged deletions.
“They’re not sharing it because it would expose where the operation is being run from,” Gandhi alleged. “This is solid proof that Gyanesh Kumar is protecting those responsible. This is being done on a large scale with significant resources.”
Holding up a copy of the Constitution, Gandhi appealed to young voters: “They are attacking this, your future. When they refuse to release information, they defend the murderers of our democracy. Your jobs, your aspirations, your freedom all come from this book.”
“Phones From Outside” and a Call for Action
During the interaction, Gandhi presented individuals whose phone numbers, he claimed, were used to delete voter IDs without their knowledge. He alleged that in some constituencies, voters were added in the same manner, while in others, they were removed.
“The idea is the same everywhere,” he said. “Phones from outside the state were used. People who supposedly added or deleted voters didn’t even know their numbers were involved.”
The Congress leader demanded that the Election Commission release all related data within a week. “If they don’t, it will be clear that the Chief Election Commissioner is shielding those attacking the Constitution and destroying Indian democracy,” he warned.
