Karnataka CEO Rebuts Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Deletion Allegations
CEO refutes claims, shares voter deletion data with police.
The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Thursday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s explosive allegations of electoral misconduct, asserting that all relevant data concerning an alleged attempt to delete 6,018 votes in Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 assembly polls was shared with Kalaburagi’s Superintendent of Police on September 6, 2023. The statement follows Gandhi’s scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding “vote chor” and obstructing a Karnataka CID probe into voter deletions.
The CEO clarified that the FIR, lodged by Aland’s Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) on February 21, 2023 (FIR No. 26/2023), was initiated under ECI authority after 6,018 Form 7 applications for voter deletions were filed online via NVSP, VHA, and GARUDA apps in December 2022. Suspicious of the volume, EROs, Assistant EROs, and Booth Level Officers meticulously verified each application, finding only 24 genuine and rejecting 5,994 as fraudulent, thus preserving the voter list. The CEO’s office provided comprehensive details to police, including objectors’ identities, EPIC numbers, mobile numbers, IP addresses, and submission timestamps.
Gandhi, speaking in New Delhi, claimed the deletions targeted Congress supporters and accused the ECI of stonewalling the CID’s 18 requests over 18 months for critical data like destination IPs and OTP trails, alleging a cover-up. “This will lead us to where this operation is being conducted,” he charged, labeling the ECI complicit in undermining democracy. The CEO countered that it has actively supported the investigation, holding review meetings with police and cyber experts to track progress.
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The controversy, rooted in Aland’s thwarted voter suppression attempt, has ignited a political firestorm, with Congress framing it as evidence of systemic electoral sabotage, while the ECI insists on its transparency. As the CID probe deepens, the clash underscores escalating tensions over electoral integrity in Karnataka, with Gandhi’s accusations putting the ECI under intense scrutiny.
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