Karnataka Voter Deletion Row Intensifies; State Leaders Back Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations of ‘Vote Chori’

Bengaluru, September 20, 2025 — The controversy over alleged large-scale voter deletions in Karnataka deepened on Thursday, as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and senior ministers rallied behind Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi’s charge of “vote chori” and accused the Election Commission of obstructing a state-led investigation.

“Today’s revelations by Rahul Gandhi once again expose how Indian democracy is being subverted through systematic and centralised attempts at vote chori,” Siddaramaiah said. Citing the Aland case in Kalaburagi district, he argued that it was “not an isolated incident but a window into a larger conspiracy to manipulate electoral rolls and deny citizens their voting rights.”

According to the Chief Minister, between February 2022 and February 2023, 6,018 Form 7 applications for voter deletions were filed in Aland. Of these, only 24 were genuine, while 5,994 were fraudulent, he claimed. “Stolen voter details, fake logins, and mobile numbers from outside Karnataka were used,” he added, alleging that the state CID has sought technical details from the EC for 18 months without success.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar echoed these concerns, saying: “What Rahul Gandhi has said is a fact. They wanted to delete a very large number of votes. Ultimately, we found it out.”

IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge called Aland a “shocking case of large-scale voter deletion,” claiming that strong Congress booths, particularly those with Dalit and minority voters, were targeted. “Who approved the deletions? Where is the OTP audit trail? Why is the ECI refusing to cooperate with CID?” he asked.

Law Minister H.K. Patil went further, alleging: “Society has accepted that rigging of votes has 100% happened. This is unpardonable.” Aland MLA B.R. Patil also claimed that minorities and backward classes were selectively targeted.

However, Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar refuted the allegations. He said that all details related to the case, including objector information, EPIC numbers, mobile logins, IP addresses, and submission data, were shared with the Kalaburagi SP in September 2023, following the registration of an FIR earlier that year. “The CEO’s office continues to extend full cooperation, with meetings held alongside investigating officers and cyber experts,” he added.