Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC of shielding 'vote chori', cites systematic targeting of Opposition voters | Video
Rahul Gandhi stated that the most disturbing aspect is that this malpractice has been ongoing for the past 10 to 15 years, pointing to it as part of a larger system and structure. He asserted that democracy in India has been hijacked and stressed that its survival ultimately depends on the people.
Congress Member of Parliament (MP) and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, launched a scathing attack on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, alleging he is “protecting people who are destroying Indian democracy.” Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Gandhi claimed that a “systematic conspiracy” is underway to delete votes belonging largely to communities supporting the Opposition, including Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis, and minorities.
He alleged that in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, nearly 6,018 votes were fraudulently deleted using impersonation and software-based manipulation. Gandhi stated, “In election after election, voters for the Opposition are being selectively targeted for deletions. We now have 100 per cent proof of this.”
Election Commission under fire
The Congress leader accused the Election Commission of deliberately stonewalling investigations. He said Karnataka CID had written 18 letters in 18 months to the Election Commission seeking basic details such as IP addresses, device ports, and OTP trails used to file deletion forms. “The Commission has not shared this information because it will reveal where the operation is being carried out,” he alleged.
Calling it “black-and-white evidence,” Gandhi charged that Gyanesh Kumar was directly protecting those responsible. “This is not the ‘H-bomb’ evidence I was referring to earlier,” he added, warning that further proof- what he referred to as his "H-bomb"- would soon be presented.
Votes deleted using software
Rahul Gandhi explained how deletions were allegedly carried out. According to him, software was used to impersonate voters and file deletion applications, with mobile numbers from outside Karnataka linked to the process. He said an automated program picked up the first name in the booth list for fraudulent deletions.
Providing examples, Gandhi cited, Suryakant, who supposedly deleted 12 voters in 14 minutes, including Babita Chaudhary’s vote, though neither individual was aware of it.
Nagaraj, linked to two deletion forms filed in just 36 seconds at 4:07 am, highlighting the impossibility of such manual filing. “These are not random mistakes- this is organised fraud on a central scale, not the work of individual party workers,” Gandhi said.
Broader pattern of targeting Opposition votes
According to Gandhi, similar fraudulent deletions have taken place in Maharashtra and in Karnataka’s Mahadevpura assembly segment. He argued that the pattern points to a centralised operation aimed at cutting Opposition votes.
“This is another milestone in showing the country’s youth how elections are being rigged,” Gandhi said. “I love my country, Constitution, and democratic process. I will only speak on the basis of 100 per cent verifiable proof.”
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has pushed back against the allegations and asked Gandhi to file a sworn affidavit and submit the evidence formally.