Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has once again targeted the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of obstructing probes into what he calls “voter chori” (vote theft). Responding to the EC’s recent fact-check, which dismissed his allegations as “incorrect and baseless,” Gandhi said investigations in Karnataka’s Aland constituency have been deliberately stalled.
At a press briefing, Gandhi repeated the phrase “Blocked, Blocked, Blocked”, alleging that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has prevented every attempt to get to the truth. According to him, the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer and the state CID have written several letters demanding key data linked to voter roll deletions, but the requests were ignored. “Our Aland candidate exposed the fraud. An FIR was filed, but the CID investigation has been blocked by the CEC. Eighteen letters in eighteen months – blocked. Even the Karnataka EC’s requests were blocked,” Gandhi claimed.
The controversy stems from Gandhi’s claim that thousands of voters were illegally removed from electoral rolls in Aland before the 2023 Karnataka polls. He alleged the use of fake logins, outsider phone numbers and manipulated OTPs in the deletion process. Around 6,000 deletion requests, he argued, targeted Congress supporters in particular.
The Election Commission, however, strongly refuted the charges. Through its official #ECIFactCheck handle, the poll body clarified that voter deletions cannot happen online without due process and personal hearings. It said that FIRs had been filed by the responsible electoral officers and all relevant records handed over to investigating authorities in Kalaburagi.
While the Commission insists that procedures were followed, Gandhi is demanding disclosure of detailed digital trails, including IP addresses and device logs, to prove accountability. The clash between the opposition leader and the constitutional body has reignited debate over electoral transparency and the credibility of India’s democratic institutions.
