The Election Commission of India (EC) has firmly rejected Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations regarding the deletion of votes in Karnataka's Aland constituency, calling them "incorrect and baseless." In a statement released on Thursday, the EC clarified that no voter can be removed from the electoral rolls without due process, emphasizing that "no deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi."

Gandhi had accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those involved in voter deletion scams, claiming that over 6,000 votes were deleted in Aland. He alleged that a systematic effort was underway to remove voters, particularly targeting those who support opposition parties. During a press conference, he stated, "I am going to show the youth, the people, proof that is black and white, absolutely clear that Chief Election Commissioner of India is protecting people who have destroyed Indian democracy."

The EC acknowledged that there were attempts to fraudulently delete voters in Aland in 2023, but these attempts were unsuccessful. An FIR was filed by the EC to investigate the matter. The Commission also pointed out that the elections in Aland had fair outcomes, with the BJP's Subhash Guttedar winning in 2018 and Congress's B R Patil in 2023.

Gandhi further claimed that the Karnataka CID had reached out to the EC 18 times over the past 18 months for technical details related to voter deletions, but the information was not provided. He accused the EC of defending those he termed "murderers of democracy" and promised to reveal what he called a "hydrogen bomb" of evidence regarding vote tampering.

The EC's response highlights its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process, stating that no deletions can occur without giving affected individuals a chance to be heard. The Commission's statement aims to reassure the public about the security and fairness of the voting system.