New Delhi-  In a stunning and detailed press conference that threatens to ignite a major political firestorm, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Thursday unveiled what he termed "black and white, undeniable proof" of a sophisticated, centralized operation to manipulate voter rolls by illegally deleting votes, specifically targeting opposition supporters.

Launching a direct and damning accusation against the Election Commission of India (ECI), Gandhi claimed that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is "protecting the murderers of Indian democracy" by allegedly withholding crucial data from an ongoing investigation.

The Aland Blueprint: How 6,018 Votes Were "Caught" Being Deleted

The epicenter of the expose is the Aland constituency in Karnataka. Gandhi revealed that an attempt to delete 6,018 votes was caught not by systemic checks, but "by coincidence." A booth-level officer discovered her uncle's name was missing from the list. Upon investigation, it was found that a neighbour was listed as the person who had applied for the deletion. Crucially, neither the person named as the applicant nor the voter whose name was deleted had any knowledge of the activity.

"This wasn't done at a worker level. This was done at a call centre level," Gandhi asserted, setting the stage for his larger claim of a widespread, tech-enabled conspiracy.

The Modus Operandi: Software, Fake Numbers, and Pre-Dawn Ops

Gandhi methodically laid out the operation's pattern, presenting evidence to back each claim:

1. Impersonation and Fake Applications: The deletions were initiated by filing Form-7 applications, impersonating genuine voters. The alleged applicants never actually filed these requests.

2. Use of Out-of-State Mobile Numbers: The mobile numbers used to generate the mandatory OTPs for these applications were registered in states outside Karnataka, indicating a non-local, coordinated effort.

3. Impossible Speeds Point to Automation: Gandhi showcased specific examples that defied human capability:

   • Case Suryakant: Allegedly deleted 12 voters by submitting 12 forms in just 14 minutes.

   • Case Nagaraj: Two separate forms were submitted within 36 seconds in the pre-dawn hours (4:07 AM), suggesting automated software was at work.

4. Systematic Targeting via Software: Evidence showed the software was programmed to auto-fill forms, often using the name of the first voter listed in a polling booth as the applicant, streamlining the mass deletion process.

The LoP emphasized that this was not a random act but a surgically precise political operation. An analysis of the data revealed a chilling pattern:

The top 10 booths with the maximum number of deletions were all Congress strongholds.

The Congress party had won 8 out of these 10 booths in the previous 2018 elections.

The operation specifically targeted voters from OBC, Dalit, Adivasi, and minority communities—a key vote bank for the opposition.

"This was a planned operation to weaken the opposition at its core," Gandhi stated.

Why CEC Gyanesh Kumar is in the Crosshairs

The most serious allegation came against the head of India's election watchdog. Gandhi revealed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Karnataka, which is probing the Aland case, has hit a wall because of the ECI's "non-cooperation."

The CID has written 18 letters over 18 months to the ECI requesting critical technical data to trace the perpetrators. The requested data includes: Destination IP addresses, device information, and most importantly, the OTP trails that would lead investigators directly to the source of the operation. Despite repeated reminders, the ECI, under Gyanesh Kumar, has refused to provide this information.

"This is absolute solid proof that Mr. Gyanesh Kumar is protecting the people who are doing this. The Election Commission of India knows who's doing this," Gandhi declared, his tone accusatory.

A National Pattern

Gandhi warned that Aland was not an isolated incident. He pointed to a similar case in Rajura, Maharashtra, where the same modus operandi was used, but for adding 6,850 votes instead of deleting them.

"This same model, same system is operating in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, UP... and we have proof of all this," he claimed, painting a picture of a pan-India voter manipulation racket.

Concluding his explosive revelations, the LoP issued a direct challenge to CEC Gyanesh Kumar. He stated, " We have given 100% proof here... The EC has to release the data of these phones and the OTPs within a week. Otherwise, we will know for sure that Gyanesh Kumar is protecting the people who are destroying and attacking the constitution."