The Election Commission of India (EC) on Thursday dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was shielding those involved in voter deletion scams, calling the claims “incorrect and baseless.”
LIVE: Special Press Conference – Vote Chori Factory https://t.co/ne8cdFCnMs
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 18, 2025
In a statement, the poll body said: “Allegations made by Shri Rahul Gandhi are incorrect and baseless. No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi.”
The EC further clarified that voter deletions cannot take place without due process. “No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person,” the Commission stated.
On the Karnataka’s Aland constituency, which Gandhi cited, the Commission admitted that fraudulent deletion attempts were made in 2023 but emphasized these were unsuccessful. An FIR was filed by the EC to ensure investigation. It also noted that Aland elections reflected fair outcomes, with BJP’s Subhadh Guttedar winning in 2018 and Congress’ BR Patil in 2023.
Rahul Gandhi’s Accusations Against CEC
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on CEC Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of protecting “vote chors” and those who had “destroyed Indian democracy.”
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Gandhi alleged that voter deletions were being carried out systematically using automated software, citing examples from Karnataka’s Aland and Maharashtra’s Rajura constituencies. He claimed the Karnataka CID had written 18 times to the EC over 18 months seeking technical details but received no information.
“EC knows who is doing this. They are defending the murderers of democracy,” Gandhi charged, while also vowing to soon reveal what he described as a “hydrogen bomb” of evidence on “vote chori.”
