'Rs 80 Paid For Every Voter Deletion In Aland': Karnataka SIT Makes Stunning Claim

The Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged voter list irregularities during the 2023 Assembly elections has reportedly found that data centre operators were paid Rs 80 for every fraudulent voter deletion submission made to the Election Commission in the Aland seat ahead of the polls.

The Aland voter list irregularities were cited by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as part of his “vote chori” allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Gandhi alleged that 6,018 applications in Aland were filed impersonating voters in a bid to delete the names of original voters.

The SIT, led by Deputy SP Alsan Basha, previously raided the residence of former Aland MLA and BJP leader Subhash Guttedar on Friday.

Sources told The Indian Express

that the SIT, which took over the investigation case on September 26, had targeted a data centre located in the Kalaburagi district headquarters, from where the applications were submitted. Officials said the probe pointed towards the involvement of a local resident identified as Mohammed Ashfaq, who was questioned in 2023 and was let off after pleading innocence. He has since moved to Dubai.

What Did The SIT Find?

The SIT checked Internal Protocol Detail Records and the devices seized from Ashfaq’s possession and found that he was in contact with an associate, Mohd. Akram, as well as Junaid, Aslam and Nadeem. The team later conducted searches at the properties of these associates and found material linked to the establishment of a data operating centre for voter list manipulation in Kalaburagi.

The investigation reportedly found that the data centre, allegedly operated by Akram and Ashfaq, paid Rs 80 to data entry operators per deletion, which means around Rs 4.8 lakh was spent for 6,018 deletions. The SIT also recovered a laptop used to make applications.

After the findings, the SIT conducted searches on properties of BJP leader Subhash Guttedar – who lost from Aland in 2023 to Congress’ BR Patil – his sons Harshananda and Santhosh, and their chartered accountant associate Mallikarjun Mahantagol. Officials recovered more than seven laptops along with mobile phones.

The investigation reportedly revealed that 75 mobile numbers — belonging to individuals ranging from poultry farm workers to relatives of police personnel — were used to register on the Election Commission portal to submit requests for changes to the voter lists in Aland, reported The Indian Express.

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations

The SIT is currently determining how the data centre operators gained access to the EC portal credentials to make the voter deletion requests, which were allegedly done without the knowledge of the voters. Guttedar, a four-time MLA from Aland, has denied any links to the voter deletions.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi alleged that someone tried to delete 6,018 votes in Aland and got caught by coincidence. After his allegations, the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government constituted a special probe team to probe irregularities.

He claimed that 6,018 applications were filed impersonating voters and this filing was done automatically using mobile numbers from outside Karnataka. However, the Election Commission dismissed the allegations terming them “incorrect and baseless”, and stressed that votes cannot be deleted online.