**Election Commission Dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations of ‘Vote Deletion Using Software’**
*By Chanshimla Varah | Sep 18, 2025, 01:27 PM*
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has firmly rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims regarding manipulation of voter lists, calling the allegations “incorrect and baseless.” The Commission emphasized that no votes can be deleted online.
During a press conference on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 6,018 votes were attempted to be deleted from Karnataka’s Aland Assembly constituency through the use of software and phone numbers originating from outside the state. He further accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of colluding with those behind these actions.
Gandhi stated, *“CEC Gyanesh Kumar needs to stop protecting the people who are destroying Indian democracy. We have given you 100% bulletproof proof here. The Election Commission has to release this data of these phones, these OTPs, within a week.”* He highlighted similar attempts in Rajura, Maharashtra, where 6,815 targeted voters were added. Gandhi claimed that while deletions were observed in Aland, additions were seen in Rajura — but insisted that both were part of the same system compromising the electoral process across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
**Election Commission Responds**
In response, the ECI clarified that no voter name can be removed from the electoral rolls without giving the affected individual an opportunity to be heard. The Commission acknowledged that some unsuccessful attempts to delete electors in Aland were flagged by its own officials. An FIR has also been filed concerning this matter.
The ECI further explained that any removal of names from voter lists requires mandatory field verification, refuting Gandhi’s claim of a “call center-type modus operandi.”
**Allegations of Targeting Congress Strongholds**
Rahul Gandhi had claimed that deletions targeted Congress strongholds and referenced a woman named Godabai, whose identity was allegedly used to create fake logins for deleting voters.
However, the Election Commission pointed out that the Aland constituency was won by Congress candidate BR Patil in the 2023 elections, suggesting that the claims of voter deletions affecting Congress strongholds were unfounded.
This press conference marks the second in a series by Rahul Gandhi accusing the ECI of facilitating “vote chori” (vote theft). Earlier, on August 7, he had accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to enable electoral malpractices.
—
*The Election Commission continues to uphold the integrity of the electoral process while investigating the flagged attempts. The political discourse around voter list allegations remains tense as India approaches future elections.*
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/politics/election-commission-dismisses-rahul-gandhi-s-charge-against-cec-gyanesh-kumar/story
