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Mounting a scathing onslaught connected Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, Leader of Opposition successful the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi connected Thursday accused the CEC of “protecting” those who are “destroying” Indian ideology by refusing to stock method details of persons down an effort to delete names of voters from the electoral rolls of an Assembly spot successful Karnataka.
The Election Commission of India (EC) rejected the Congress leader’s allegations arsenic “incorrect and baseless”.
Mr. Gandhi said that 6,018 votes were sought to beryllium deleted successful the Aland constituency utilizing a centralised bundle and mobile phones registered extracurricular Karnataka. In the past 18 months, the State’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has written 18 letters to the canvass body, seeking details of the IP addresses utilized to capable online applications for elector deletions, but the EC has not responded, helium said.
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The canvass assemblage indispensable halt protecting “vote chors (thieves)” and supply accusation sought by the Karnataka CID wrong a week, Mr. Gandhi said, adding that if the EC does not oblige, it volition beryllium known for being “complicit successful the execution of the Constitution”.
“I americium going to marque a superior assertion astir Gyanesh Kumar. I americium not saying this lightly, I americium the Leader of Opposition. The CEC is protecting ballot chors and the radical who person destroyed Indian democracy,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding, “Our request is Gyanesh Kumar, bash your job, you person taken an oath, you are India’s Chief Election Commissioner, you indispensable springiness grounds to the Karnataka CID.”
In a consequent station connected X, Mr. Gandhi said the CEC should halt giving “excuses” and said had the alleged “vote theft” not been caught, the Congress campaigner would person mislaid the Assembly seat.
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘hydrogen bomb’ revelation connected elector theft LIVE
Recently, The Hindu had reported connected the Karnataka CID’s probe into a systematic effort to region names of 5,994 voters from electoral rolls by forging Form 7 successful the Aland constituency of Kalaburagi territory up of the 2023 Assembly election.
Before making a elaborate presumption connected the Aland seat, Mr. Gandhi clarified that that these revelations were not the “hydrogen bomb” that helium had talked astir earlier and promised that excessively volition travel soon. “I americium conscionable creating the foundation. This is going connected for 10-15 years. India’s ideology has been hijacked. Democracy tin lone beryllium saved by the radical of India. Rahul Gandhi tin amusement the truth. The time the radical realise that their ideology and Constitution person been stolen, the occupation volition beryllium done,” helium said.
Elaborating connected the attempted elector deletions successful Aland, the Congress person alleged that the apical 10 booths with maximum deletion applications were Congress strongholds. Citing examples, helium said, successful 1 case, idiosyncratic had utilized the sanction of a 63-year-old pistillate Godabai to use for 12 deletions and past played retired a video successful which she denied having thing to bash with specified an application.
Mr. Gandhi called connected signifier a voter, Suryakant, whose individuality was utilized to use for 12 deletions successful 14 minutes, but the Karnataka nonmigratory said helium had nary cognition of it.
The Congress person gave the illustration of Maharashtra’s Rajura constituency wherever helium claimed 6,850 voters were added successful a fraudulent mode utilizing automated software.
“We are beauteous definite that this is being done utilizing a bundle astatine a telephone centre,” helium said, adding, “Same strategy is doing this. It is doing it successful Karnataka, Maharashtra, it has done it Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and we person impervious of it”.
ECI is not giving details to Karnataka CID, says Rahul Gandhi
The canvass sheet is not giving the details due to the fact that it volition pb to wherever this cognition is being conducted, Mr. Gandhi said. “EC knows who is doing this. I privation each youngster successful India to cognize this. They are doing this to your future. When they are not giving this information, they are defending the murderers of democracy,” helium said.
Mr. Gandhi said it volition instrumentality two-three months for the probe and presentations connected alleged “vote chori”. “When we are done with these presentations, you volition person nary uncertainty successful your caput that authorities aft authorities (elections) and Lok Sabha aft Lok Sabha are being stolen. My occupation is to laic bare the information and amusement it to the radical of the country,” helium added.
Last month, citing information from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress person had claimed that implicit 1 lakh votes were “stolen” done manipulation successful Mahadevapura assembly conception successful Karnataka.
