New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of voter list manipulation, calling them “incorrect and baseless” and clarifying that votes cannot be deleted online by any member of the public.
In an official statement on Thursday, the poll body said, “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person.”
The controversy centres on Karnataka’s Aland Assembly constituency, where Gandhi alleged that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections. The ECI clarified that it was the Commission itself that had flagged irregularities in the constituency last year and even filed a First Information Report (FIR) to investigate the matter.
The poll panel also shared details of Aland’s electoral history, pointing out that the seat was won by BJP’s Subhadh Guttedar in 2018 and by Congress’s BR Patil in 2023.
Sources within the Commission termed Gandhi’s remarks against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar “unfortunate,” noting that he assumed charge only six months ago and cannot be blamed for alleged irregularities reported in 2023.
“It is unfair to directly target the CEC by name. In the Aland constituency, which Gandhi referred to, the Congress actually won the seat,” the sources said, adding that field verification is mandatory for any voter deletion, and names cannot simply be removed based on applications.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi accused the CEC of protecting “vote chors” and undermining democracy. Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, he demanded that the Election Commission provide the information sought by the Karnataka CID on voter deletions within a week.
Gandhi cited alleged vote deletions in Aland as well as claims of fraudulent voter additions in Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency using automated software.
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