Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Oct 18 (NationPress) Former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar from Karnataka criticized the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for conducting a raid at his home, labeling it a ploy to shift public focus away from significant matters. The SIT is currently investigating alleged voter fraud in the Aland assembly constituency of Kalaburagi district.

"The accusations of voter fraud directed at me are entirely untrue. This operation aims to distract the populace from pressing concerns. No voter names were erased around my neighborhood," Guttedar stated to the press in Kalaburagi.

Addressing the claims about burnt voter lists discovered near his home, he remarked, "With the Diwali festivities approaching, the workers were merely cleaning our residence. They are unaware of any voter lists or electoral matters. If someone intended to destroy such lists, they wouldn’t have done it adjacent to my property."

Targeting Aland Congress MLA B.R. Patil, Guttedar accused him of fabricating the voter fraud allegations. "They have transported individuals from their hometowns, brought them to Delhi, placed them beside Rahul Gandhi, and coerced them into making statements. B.R. Patil is attempting to align himself with Rahul Gandhi to secure a ministerial position," he claimed.

Guttedar further noted that he hasn’t yet received any formal notification but is willing to assist the investigation if necessary. "Development activities in the state have stalled due to an empty treasury. Amid this situation, the Congress government is stirring up controversies," he asserted.

The SIT is investigating the alleged voter fraud following complaints from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. They performed overnight raids in Aland, uncovering documents, voter ID cards, and burnt electoral rolls reportedly discarded in the Amarja River.

The SIT team, which has been operating in Kalaburagi for the past five days, previously raided a call center and several residences, seizing seven laptops and approximately 1,000 voter identity cards. On Friday night, they executed a raid at Guttedar’s home, as well as at Apna Bar—reportedly linked to him—and the residence of a chartered accountant.

Investigators reportedly found heaps of burnt and partially burnt election-related documents near Guttedar’s property. Initial investigations indicate that the materials were loaded onto a goods truck and discarded in the Amarja River.

The SIT, led by SP Shubhanvita in collaboration with local police, is engaged in efforts to recover the discarded documents and is examining whether the call center was utilized to manipulate voter lists. An official statement from the SIT is still pending.

Previously, Rahul Gandhi alleged attempts to delete over 6,000 votes in Aland during the 2023 assembly elections, claiming the irregularity was discovered when a booth-level officer realized her uncle’s name had been removed and traced it back to a manipulated voter list.

However, the Election Commission of India (ECI) rejected Gandhi’s allegations, clarifying that individual online vote deletions are impossible and labeling the claims of mass voter deletions as "incorrect and baseless."

The Congress-led Karnataka government has mandated an SIT investigation into the issue.

Currently, Congress MLA B.R. Patil represents the Aland seat, while Subhash Guttedar, who lost the 2023 election, previously held the position as a BJP MLA.