Rahul Gandhi Alleges 6,000 Voter Deletions in Karnataka’s Aland, Shares ‘Proof’

Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP, EC of Orchestrating ‘Centralised Voter Fraud’; Poll Body Rejects Charges.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a fresh offensive against the BJP and the Election Commission, alleging “systematic voter fraud” through software-driven deletions from electoral rolls. Presenting what he called “undeniable proof” at a Delhi press conference, Gandhi claimed minorities and Congress strongholds were deliberately targeted, and accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding “vote thieves.”

According to Gandhi, over 6,000 voter names were deleted in Karnataka’s Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 state election. He alleged the deletions were carried out through “automated software manipulation” and fraudulent applications using mobile numbers from outside the state. “This was not random. The booths with the maximum deletions were Congress bastions. This was a centralised, planned operation,” Gandhi said, calling it “the murder of democracy.”

He recounted how the alleged tampering came to light when a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s name missing from the rolls. “She found that a neighbour’s name was used to file the deletion, but neither the neighbour nor the family was aware. This was done through hijacked software,” Gandhi claimed.

The Congress leader alleged that investigators in Karnataka sought digital records to trace the origin of the deletions but the EC “stonewalled” the process. He further charged that the poll body was complicit: “The Chief Election Commissioner is protecting those behind this vote theft.”

The Election Commission, however, dismissed Gandhi’s accusations as “baseless,” stating that no voter deletions can be carried out online by members of the public. “Due procedure involving verification by officials is followed in all cases,” the poll body said.

Gandhi’s allegations come just months before a series of state polls and ahead of the 2026 general election, setting the stage for a renewed political battle over electoral integrity.