New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of failing to cooperate with the Karnataka Crime Investigation Department (CID) in probing alleged voter fraud in the Aland assembly segment of Kalaburagi district.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha claimed that the investigation, initiated in February 2023, has been stalled for over two years due to the ECI not responding to repeated requests from the Karnataka CID. Gandhi alleged this inaction is evidence that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is “protecting vote chors (vote thieves).”
“February 2023 investigation started, and in March 2023 the Karnataka CID wrote to ECI asking for all details. Incomplete details were given in August, which cannot support any investigation. Whatever was not needed was given; whatever was needed was withheld,” Gandhi said during a press conference at Congress headquarters, Indira Bhawan. He demanded that the ECI release the requested data within one week, highlighting that 18 letters from the CID and additional requests from the Karnataka EC remain unanswered.
Gandhi further alleged that a systematic effort targets voters who primarily support opposition parties, including OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis, and other marginalized communities. Referring to Aland, he claimed that around 6,018 votes were targeted for deletion by unknown actors using software, and that the irregularity was only discovered by coincidence when a Booth Level officer noticed a relative’s vote had been removed.
“When she asked the neighbour, he said he was not aware of deleting the vote. Neither the neighbour nor the voter knew. Some other force hijacked the process,” Gandhi explained, adding that similar incidents have been reported in Maharashtra and other Karnataka constituencies, including Mahadevpura.
The Congress leader maintained that the group manipulating voter lists acts in a centralised manner, and he asserted he has “100 percent proof” of such systematic targeting. Gandhi called for immediate action to provide the CID with the necessary evidence to continue the investigation.
Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the ECI of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party to manipulate voter rolls, a claim reiterated by Gandhi in his press briefing. (ANI)
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