Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has raised shocking allegations about voter manipulation in Karnataka’s Aland constituency during the 2023 elections, claiming that over 6,018 votes were deleted using software in a highly organized operation.

Speaking publicly, Rahul Gandhi said that the incident was not random, but part of a centralized and automated system targeting Congress voters. He explained that the CID of Karnataka has been investigating this matter for over a year and a half. The CID reportedly sent 18 letters in 18 months to the Election Commission of India (ECI) requesting basic information, such as:

1. The destination IP addresses from where the applications were filed.

2. The device ports used to submit the voter applications.

3. The OTP (one-time password) trails, which are crucial for verifying who submitted the forms.

Despite repeated requests, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission did not provide this information, which he claims would reveal the full scale and location of the operation.

How the Votes Were Deleted

Rahul Gandhi explained that the deletion of votes was done using software, not manually by individual workers.

• The software reportedly picked the first voter in a booth and deleted votes automatically.

• Applications were filed impersonating voters, using mobile numbers from outside Karnataka, targeting specific voters.

• The process was centralized and carried out at scale, making it much bigger than a local-level manipulation.

He cited a specific case where a booth-level officer noticed her uncle’s vote had been deleted. When she traced the deletion, it appeared a neighbor had been involved—but neither the neighbor nor the affected voter knew what had happened. Gandhi called this “a force hijacking the democratic process.”

6018 Votes Deleted, But Real Numbers Likely Higher

Rahul Gandhi highlighted that 6,018 votes were caught being deleted by coincidence, but he believes the actual number could be much higher. He said:

“Somebody tried to delete 6,018 votes. We don’t know the total number of votes that were deleted in Aland in the 2023 election. They are much higher than 6,018, but somebody got caught deleting those 6,018 votes by coincidence.”

He warned that this is just the beginning, describing the real scale of the manipulation as the “H-bomb” yet to be revealed.

Allegations Against the Election Commission

Rahul Gandhi accused the Chief Election Commissioner of India of protecting the people responsible for undermining democracy, stating that this cover-up prevents transparency and accountability.

Why This Matters

Rahul Gandhi emphasized that he is speaking only based on verified evidence and not speculation. He claimed that this case demonstrates to the youth of India how elections can be manipulated if systems are hijacked, and stressed the urgent need for investigation and reform.

“I am somebody who loves my country, I love my constitution, I love the democratic process, and I am protecting that process. I’m not going to say anything here that is not based on 100% proof that you can determine.”