The Election Commission of India (ECI) Friday rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of mass voter deletion, calling them “incorrect and baseless”.
Gandhi has claimed that millions of voters, largely from Opposition-leaning communities, were deliberately removed from electoral rolls using fraudulent methods during the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections.
The ECI explained that electoral rolls are prepared in accordance with the law, and any correction, deletion, or inclusion can be made only by following the procedure laid down in law. “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public,” the ECI said in a press note, adding that no name is deleted from the roll without issuing a notice to the affected person and giving them an opportunity to be heard.
In the Aland constituency of Karnataka, 6,018 applications for voter deletion were submitted online, out of which only 24 were found genuine and accepted. The remaining 5,994 were rejected after verification. An FIR was registered by the Electoral Registration Officer in February 2023, suspecting the genuineness of the large number of deletion applications.
In Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency, 7,792 applications for new voter registration were received, of which 6,861 were found invalid and rejected. An inquiry was conducted, and a crime case was registered at Rajura Police Station.
Gandhi alleged that a centralized software-based system was used to manipulate electoral rolls, targeting voters from marginalized and oppressed communities. He demanded that the ECI release detailed data on mobile numbers and OTPs used in voter deletion applications. “Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar needs to stop protecting the people who are destroying Indian democracy,” Gandhi said.
The ECI has stated that it handed over all available information to the Superintendent of Police, Kalaburagi district, for completing the investigation into the Aland case. The CEO, Karnataka, has been providing continuous assistance to the investigating agency.