‘Info Given 2 Years Ago’: Karnataka CEO Rebuts Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Chori’ Claims, BJP Attacks
Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Thursday countered claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding voter deletions in the state, stating that the information he sought had already been provided to the state’s CID two years ago . The statement came shortly after Gandhi held a press conference accusing the Election Commission (EC) of stonewalling an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the Aland constituency .
“The information that Rahul Gandhi needed was already provided to Karnataka CID by CEO Karnataka two years ago,” the Karnataka CEO’s office posted on X . The post further clarified that an FIR regarding the fraudulent deletion attempts in Aland was registered by the EC itself on February 21, 2023, and all available information, including IP addresses and mobile numbers used, was shared with the Kalaburagi Superintendent of Police on September 6, 2023 .
Earlier in the day, Gandhi had accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting “vote thieves” by withholding this very data from the CID . The Karnataka CEO’s response directly contradicted this claim. The poll body explained that it had initiated the FIR after its own verification found that out of 6,018 online applications for voter deletion in Aland, 5,994 were “found to be incorrect” and were subsequently rejected . Only 24 genuine applications were accepted, the statement read.
The BJP quickly seized on the clarification to attack Rahul Gandhi. “CEO Karnataka exposes Rahul Gandhi’s lies,” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted on X. “What a steep fall for the Leader of Opposition — the same man who openly declared that it is not his responsibility to defend India’s democracy. Shameful” . The Election Commission of India also issued a broader rebuttal, calling Gandhi’s allegations “incorrect and baseless” and emphasizing that no voter can be deleted from the rolls online by a member of the public without due process and an opportunity to be heard
