Is Rahul Gandhi Right About 'Systemic' Vote Deletions in Congress Booths?

New Delhi, Sep 18 (NationPress) Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Thursday initiated a new critique against the Election Commission of India, asserting that votes were being systematically removed from Congress booths via fraudulent logins executed through a ‘centralised system’. However, he avoided direct inquiries regarding potential legal actions against the ECI for the alleged ‘irregularities and wrongdoings’ under the election panel's oversight.

When questioned by an IANS reporter about whether the party would pursue legal action concerning the unlawful deletion of votes, the Congress leader sidestepped a clear answer, reiterating his commitment to being a devoted advocate for democracy and always aiming to uphold constitutional principles.

This press conference marked Rahul Gandhi's second special address in recent months, wherein he raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and alleged that voter deletions occurred in Congress booths in Karnataka’s Aland. Just a month prior, he had claimed that ‘votes were stolen’ in the Mahadevpura Assembly constituency.

During the press event titled ‘Democracy can’t be deleted’, Rahul Gandhi accused that Congress' stronghold in Karnataka has faced extensive voter deletions executed through fraudulent logins and phone numbers from outside the region. He further alleged that software, rather than individuals, was being utilized to eliminate voters from the rolls.

In a direct accusation against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), he claimed that the latter was shielding ‘vote chors’ by failing to provide requested information to the Karnataka CID for investigating voter deletions.

With the phrase ‘chronology samajhiye’ in the background, the Congress leader called for the ECI to disclose the data related to these phone numbers and OTPs within a week, stating, “CEC Gyanesh Kumar must stop protecting individuals who are undermining and attacking the constitution”.

Gandhi asserted that such vote deletions were widespread, specifically citing Karnataka’s Aland constituency, where he alleged that 6,018 voters had been removed. He pointed out that the votes of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, and marginalized communities were being targeted with the intent to advantage a specific party.

He claimed that there is substantial and undeniable proof of voter deletions occurring through fraudulent logins, asserting that a ‘centralised model’ was responsible for removing votes in Congress booths, allegedly utilizing call centers.

He noted that the ‘crime’ was uncovered when a BLO in Karnataka’s Aland discovered that a relative's name had been removed from the electoral rolls.

The investigation into the deletion of 6,018 votes in Karnataka is currently ongoing.

“The Karnataka EC initiated an inquiry into the alleged vote deletions, sending at least 18 letters seeking clarification and the rationale behind such deletions. Investigations commenced in February 2023, and in March, the Karnataka CID requested details, including OTPs and call records, which were received in August 2023, but were found to be incomplete and insufficient. The Karnataka EC also sought information regarding IP addresses and the framework involved in the vote deletions,”

he conveyed to the media.

He further contended that the CEC was fully aware of the situation but chose to remain silent.

Additionally, he mentioned that a similar method was employed for voter additions in Maharashtra’s Rajoura constituency.

Regarding his previous threats of a ‘Hydrogen bomb’ that would unveil government misconduct, he stated that preparations for its release are in progress, promising that it will be made public soon once his team gathers all evidence of ‘electoral malpractices’.