Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of lying about sharing complete details related to the alleged voter deletion scam in Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. The charge comes a day after Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of shielding “vote chors” (vote thieves).

Priyank cites correspondence contradicting EC’s claim

Reacting to ECI’s assertion that all available details had been handed over to the investigating authorities, Kharge cited official correspondence between the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the office of Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

“The CID wrote 18 letters, the latest on February 1, 2025, seeking specific details. Yet the ECI says everything has already been shared. That is a lie,” Priyank alleged.

He highlighted that the CID sought critical information such as internet protocol (IP) logs, OTP authentication methods on the National Voters’ Service Portal (NVSP) and Voter Helpline App (VHA), and Section 65B certificates under the Indian Evidence Act for the admissibility of electronic records. The CID also requested a presentation on how NVSP, VHA and Garuda apps functioned from a voter’s perspective.

CEO’s office forwarded CID’s request to EC

According to Kharge, the Karnataka CEO’s office had forwarded these requests to the ECI on February 4, 2025. The joint CEO’s letter noted that the investigating officer had specifically asked for certificates under Section 65B and further technical details to aid the probe.

Kharge questioned: “If the ECI had already shared everything, then why did the CEO forward these letters? Why are investigators still waiting for key documents?”

How the scam came to light

Aland Congress MLA B R Patil, who was at the centre of the controversy, recounted how the scam was first detected in February 2023.

“One Vijay Kumar from Kamanahalli village informed me that a request had been made to delete his name from the rolls. Soon after, I was flooded with complaints. In all, 6,018 voter deletion requests were filed. I immediately alerted the authorities,” Patil said.

He recalled meeting then-CEO Manoj Kumar Meena, who acknowledged the irregularities and ordered a status quo.

Fake deletions using EPIC numbers

Patil alleged that EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) numbers of unsuspecting voters were misused to file bulk deletion requests.

  • In one case, a retired teacher’s EPIC number was allegedly used to request the deletion of 12 voters.
  • In another, the EPIC card of an illiterate woman, Godha Bai, was used to attempt deleting 12 voters within 14 minutes.

Investigations also traced the mobile phones used in these deletion requests to states such as Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.

“This was a systematic fraud to ensure my defeat. If 5,900 votes were deleted, I would have lost by 1,500 votes. Without BJP and ECI’s collusion, this would not have been possible,” Patil alleged.

Opposition sharpens attack

Priyank Kharge’s remarks add to the Congress party’s mounting criticism of the ECI. Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday, had directly accused the Chief Election Commissioner of protecting those behind the scam.

While the Karnataka CEO maintains that all available data was shared with the police, Priyank and Patil argue that critical technical evidence remains withheld, stalling the investigation.

Conclusion

The controversy over the Aland voter deletion scam has now escalated into a political flashpoint, with the Congress openly accusing the Election Commission of shielding malpractice. With over 6,000 deletion requests under scrutiny and multiple states’ involvement in the misuse of voter IDs, the case could have far-reaching implications for public trust in electoral processes.