6,018 deletion attempts in Aland, 5,994 found forged, 2,494 voters actually removed.
Kharge cites use of fake logins, automated software, and identity theft for voter deletion.
Election Commission accused of stonewalling CID probe despite 18 requests for data.
'Vote Chori Factory': Kharge Alleges Mass Voter Deletions via Misuse of Form 7
Priyank Kharge says BJP govt misused Form 7 ahead of 2023 polls; Congress booths, Dalit and minority voters targeted.
 and Rahul Gandhi (R)?w=640&h=360&fit=crop&crop=smart "'Vote Chori Factory': Kharge Alleges Mass Voter Deletions via Misuse of Form 7")
Summary
On Thursday, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge claimed that the previous BJP government had abused Form 7 to remove voters "en masse" in advance of the May 2023 Assembly elections.
According to PTI, his comments came after Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, said that party supporters' ballots were being routinely wiped out before elections, using Karnataka as an example.
Form 7 is an application to request the removal of one's own name from the electoral roll, to object to the inclusion of another person's name, or to request the removal of any other person's name from the electoral roll due to death or relocation.
Rahul Gandhi, speaking at a press conference earlier in the day in New Delhi, accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding "vote chors" and those who have ruined democracy. He backed up his accusation with data from Karnataka's Aland Assembly constituency, which showed that votes cast by Congress supporters were being routinely wiped out before elections.
PTI reported that he claimed that the names of Congress voters were being systematically removed, claiming that someone attempted to remove 6,018 votes in the Aland portion and was accidentally caught.
Kharge said, "The Vote Chori trail in Aland (in Kalaburagi district) is a shocking case of large-scale voter deletion. Ahead of the May 2023 Assembly election, Form 7 was misused under the BJP government to delete voters en masse." In a post on X, he claimed that a total of 6,018 deletions were attempted using automated software and fake logins.
He said, "Verification showed 5,994 were forged, only 24 genuine. 2,494 voters were actually deleted before the fraud was caught. Strong Congress booths, especially with Dalit and minority voters, were targeted." In one instance, 12 voters were deleted in just 14 minutes, pointing to a 'sophisticated vote chori factory', Kharge said.
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Another instance involved the unauthorised removal of 12 voters using the identity of a 63-year-old lady.
He said that the Election Commission of India has failed to provide the crucial information, citing 18 letters that the Karnataka CID, which is looking into the case, submitted to the EC requesting IP logs, OTP trails, device IDs, and login credentials.
The Minister said this raises serious questions. "Who approved these deletion records? Where is the OTP audit trail? When will deleted voters be restored? Why is ECI refusing to cooperate with CID? Who is the ECI trying to protect?" "When the fraud is this clear, what more evidence is the ECI waiting for? Whom are they shielding?" he asked.
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