Rahul Gandhi accuses CEC of protecting murderers of democracy, EC rejects allegations as ‘baseless’
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Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those responsible for the “systematic deletion” of opposition voters.
The ECI swiftly rejected the allegations, terming them “incorrect and baseless.”
At a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi alleged that “millions of voters” from opposition strongholds — including Dalits, tribals, minorities, and OBCs — had been deliberately targeted through what he described as a centrally controlled, software-driven operation. “This is vote chori. This is the murder of democracy. The CEC is protecting those who have destroyed Indian democracy,” Gandhi declared.
Citing the Karnataka constituency of Aland, Gandhi claimed that at least 6,018 votes had been deleted before the 2023 Assembly election. He said that neither the person whose vote was deleted nor the person who appeared to delete it knew anything, alleging that some other force had hijacked the process. He further claimed that automated programs were used to file bulk deletions and pointed out that the top 10 booths with the maximum deletions were all Congress-leaning booths.
The Congress leader claimed that information was now coming “from within the ECI itself” and that he possessed “black and white proof” of wrongdoing.
Joining the attack, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the deletions were part of an “organised effort” in which the Election Commission was “clearly involved.”
The ECI, however, issued a detailed rebuttal. “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person,” the Commission said in a statement. It added that in 2023, “unsuccessful attempts” were indeed made in Aland constituency, and an FIR was filed by the ECI itself to probe the matter. The Commission also pointed out that the constituency was won by the BJP in 2018 and by the Congress in 2023, undermining the allegation of large-scale manipulation.
Defending his stand, Gandhi said it was ultimately up to citizens to safeguard democratic institutions. “Democracy can only be saved by the people of India. The day they realise the Constitution is being stolen, the work will be done,” he asserted. He further demanded that the CEC release details of the deletions, including associated phone numbers and OTP data, within a week.