Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Election Commission of deliberately deleting voters’ names, particularly those belonging to Dalit and OBC communities. He claimed that the Commission was engaging in systematic voter suppression and presented what he described as supporting evidence at a press conference.

Responding swiftly, the Election Commission (EC) dismissed the allegations as “false and baseless.” It clarified that no vote cast online can ever be deleted and reiterated that voters’ names cannot be removed without giving the concerned person a hearing.

The EC further acknowledged that in 2023, there were attempts to delete names from the voters’ list in Karnataka’s Aland Assembly constituency, but those efforts were unsuccessful. In fact, the EC itself filed a case to investigate the matter. In Aland, BJP’s Subhash Guttedar had won in 2018, while Congress candidate BR Patil secured victory in 2023.

Issuing an official statement, the Commission said:
❌ “Allegations made by Shri Rahul Gandhi are incorrect and baseless.”
✅ “Read in detail in the image attached,” it posted on social media along with a fact-check note.

Meanwhile, JDU leader KC Tyagi criticized Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, objecting to his use of the word “theft” in reference to the Commission. Tyagi argued that the EC functions under the directives of the Supreme Court and has no reason to undermine its credibility. He added that the Congress party’s repeated electoral defeats have led to frustration, and cautioned against questioning the integrity of the election process.

Tyagi further stated, “In 2014, we contested against the BJP and won two seats, but we never accused them of rigging. OBC, SC, and ST voters are with BJP and JDU under the leadership of Narendra Modi. How can any party harm itself by cutting its own voters? Rahul Gandhi fails to understand this basic fact.”

The EC is scheduled to hold a press conference to formally counter the allegations and provide further clarity.