Alleges CEC Gyanesh Kumar blocking probe into mass deletions; gives one-week deadline, warns of ‘hydrogen bomb’ evidence
New Delhi, September 18: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of complicity in what he described as a “systematic and targeted deletion of voters’ names” across several states. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi alleged that a well-orchestrated operation — involving the misuse of technology, fake logins, and automated software — is being used to erase voters from electoral rolls in constituencies where Congress has a strong base.
Targeted Voter Deletions
Gandhi claimed that the conspiracy was not random but deliberately aimed at specific constituencies. He named Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh as states where such deletions were allegedly rampant. In booths traditionally favorable to Congress, he said, large numbers of voters had been struck off the rolls.
“This is not an accident. This is vote chori (theft of votes) being done in a scientific and targeted manner,” Gandhi declared.
The Aland Example
To illustrate his point, Gandhi cited the Aland constituency in Karnataka, calling it a “case study of how democracy is being dismantled.” According to him, 6,018 deletion applications were filed using mobile phones from outside the state. He presented documents suggesting that many of these applications were processed at odd hours, including one recorded at 4:07 AM.
He further alleged that a single individual, identified as “Suryakant,” managed to delete 12 voters in just 14 minutes — evidence, he said, of automated software being used to carry out mass deletions.
Use of Fake Logins and OTP Misuse
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the process relied on a sophisticated mechanism involving Fake logins into the voter database, Automated deletion through software tools, and Misuse of mobile numbers and OTPs to validate deletion requests.
“This is not the work of ordinary citizens. This is being carried out by people with access to systems, and with the blessings of those at the very top,” Gandhi said.
Attack on the Chief Election Commissioner
Directly naming Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Rahul Gandhi accused him of “shielding those who are destroying democracy.” He said the Karnataka CID had written 18 letters in 18 months to the Election Commission seeking crucial data about the deletions — including the mobile numbers used and the OTP trails — but had received either no reply or incomplete information.
“The Chief Election Commissioner is sitting on this evidence. Why is he protecting the vote chors?” Gandhi asked.
The “Hydrogen Bomb” of Evidence
Gandhi described the evidence presented today as “just the beginning.” He hinted at a much larger set of documents and proof, which he termed a “hydrogen bomb.” He set a one-week deadline for the Election Commission to release the requested data. If the EC fails to comply, Gandhi said, the Congress will conclude that the CEC himself is complicit in the conspiracy.
Framing the issue as an attack on India’s democratic fabric, Gandhi said:
“If votes are stolen even before people can cast them, then elections become a sham. This is not just about the Congress. This is about the future of Indian democracy.”
