Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserted on Thursday that he possesses “absolute solid claim” that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is “protecting vote chors,” or vote thieves.
At a press conference, Gandhi stated, “The Chief Election Commissioner of India is protecting the people who have destroyed Indian democracy.” This remark aligns with his ongoing criticism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which he has repeatedly accused of engaging in “vote theft.”
In his assertions, Gandhi highlighted an incident in the Aland constituency of Karnataka, claiming that “somebody tried to delete 6,018 votes.” He revealed that 6,018 applications were submitted under false pretenses, with individuals impersonating actual voters, many of whom never filed these applications.
Gandhi indicated that this manipulation was executed automatically via software. He further alleged that mobile numbers from outside Karnataka were utilized to target Congress voters specifically. “This wasn’t random,” he emphasized, promising to present evidence showing that the deletions were strategically aimed at polling booths where the Congress party was performing well.
In a detailed critique of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Gandhi leveled serious allegations, noting that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Karnataka sent “18 letters in 18 months” to the Election Commission, seeking “some very simple facts.”
The CID’s requests aimed to uncover specific details, which included:
- The destination IP addresses from where the forms were submitted
- The destination ports from which the applications were filed
- OTP trails, as a one-time password is required during the filing process.
Gandhi’s claims highlight significant concerns regarding electoral integrity, urging further scrutiny of the alleged discrepancies in the electoral process.
