• Source:JND
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Amid the row over vote chori campaign of Rahul Gandhi directed against the Election Commission, the Karnataka government has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the mass voter deletion attempt in the Aland Constituency in 2023.   

On September 18, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a press briefing at the party headquarters, Indira Bhawan, in New Delhi. During the press conference, he alleged a mass voter deletion attempt in Haryana, UP, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.

He alleged that the voters were being deleted in a centralised manner from the Congress strongholds. He said that over 6,000 voter deletion applications were filed online in the Aland constituency in 2023.

"In Aland, Karnataka, 6018 votes, somebody tried to delete these votes. We don't know the total number of votes deleted in 2023 elections, but somebody got caught. It was caught, by most crimes, by a coincidence. What happened was that the Booth Level officer noticed that her uncle's vote has been deleted," he said.

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He alleged that the CID investigated the cae and wrote to the poll body asking for details but incomplete details were given.

Gandhi said, "February 2023 investigation is started, March 2023 Karnataka CID writes to ECI asking for all details. Incomplete details are given in August, with which no investigation can happen. Whatever was not needed was given, whatever was needed that was not given (by the Election Commission)".

Accusing the poll body of being complicit, Gandhi said, "Second thing, 18 letters have been given. If you get one letter from CID and you don't reply, you know what will happen. Here ECI is getting 18 letters, nothing has happened. Later on Karnataka EC asks the ECI to give the information to them. You have to give information, but no reply".

The Election Commission was quick to rebut, saying that the applications were indeed received but were verified by the poll body and cancelled.

The poll body further added that it filed a complaint with the police in this case. The EC called Gandhi's allegations baseless and incorrect and that no election can be done online without due process.

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"Allegations made by Rahul Gandhi are incorrect and baseless. No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Rahul Gandhi. No deleting can take palce without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person," the ECI said.

"In 2023, certain unsuccessful attempts were made for deletion of electors in Aland Assembly Constituency and an FIR was filed by the authority of ECI itself to investigate the matter," the poll body said

(With PTI Inputs)