Key Points
- Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar of protecting a centralized vote deletion scam targeting Congress strongholds across multiple states.
- Over 6,018 voters were allegedly targeted for deletion in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, with fake applications filed using automated software and mobile numbers from outside the state.
- The EC rejected Gandhi’s allegations as “baseless,” clarifying that no online vote deletion is possible by the public and that unsuccessful attempts in Aland in 2023 led to an FIR.
- Gandhi presented “bulletproof evidence” including cases of voters like Godabai whose identity was used to delete 12 voters without her knowledge, and fake additions in Maharashtra with bizarre names like “YUH UQJJW”.
- A one-week ultimatum was given to the EC to release data on mobile numbers and OTPs used in the alleged scam, with Gandhi promising his “hydrogen bomb” evidence is still coming.
New Delhi: In his second explosive press conference on voter fraud allegations, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday presented what he called “100 percent bulletproof proof” of a centralized vote deletion scam targeting millions of voters across India. However, the promised “hydrogen bomb” of evidence was withheld, with Gandhi stating that preparations for the bigger revelation are still underway.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha specifically targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of “protecting vote thieves” and those who have “destroyed Indian democracy”. Gandhi’s presentation focused primarily on Karnataka’s Aland constituency, where he alleged over 6,018 voters were targeted for deletion through sophisticated software manipulation.
The Aland Case: Automated Deletion Exposed
Gandhi detailed how the alleged scam was discovered when a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s name had been deleted from voter rolls. Upon investigation, she found that a neighbor had apparently filed the deletion application, but the neighbor denied any knowledge of it. This led to the discovery of what Gandhi described as a “centralized, automated operation” using fake logins and mobile numbers from outside Karnataka.
The Congress leader presented evidence of suspicious patterns, including applications filed in impossibly short timeframes – such as Nagaraj allegedly completing two deletion forms in just 38 seconds at 4:07 AM. Gandhi also cited Suryakant, who allegedly deleted 12 voters in 14 minutes, bringing both the accused and one of the affected voters, Babita Choudhari, on stage.
Multi-State Operation Alleged
Beyond Karnataka, Gandhi claimed similar irregularities occurred in Maharashtra, where fake voter additions included bizarre entries like voter name “YUH UQJJW” with address “Sasti, Sasti”. He alleged the same systematic approach was found in Bihar, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, with the operation specifically targeting Congress strongholds.
Gandhi revealed that 8 out of the top 10 booths with maximum deletions in Aland were Congress strongholds that the party had won in 2018, calling this “not a coincidence but a planned operation”.
EC’s Swift Rebuttal
The Election Commission promptly dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as “incorrect and baseless,” clarifying that “no deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public”. The poll body confirmed that unsuccessful deletion attempts were made in Aland in 2023, resulting in an FIR being filed by the commission itself.
The EC noted that Aland constituency was won by BJP’s Subhash Guttedar in 2018 and Congress’s B R Patil in 2023, contradicting Gandhi’s narrative of systematic manipulation. Gandhi has given the Election Commission a one-week deadline to release data on mobile numbers and OTPs allegedly used in the scam, warning that failure to comply would prove the CEC is “actively protecting vote thieves”.
