Karnataka Minister Patil demands EC probe into alleged ‘vote chori’ in Aland

Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Friday called on the Election Commission of India (EC) to launch a full inquiry into alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) in the Aland Assembly constituency, following findings by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that attempts were made to delete thousands of voter names ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

Patil, who holds the industries and infrastructure portfolios, said the revelations validate claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi , who recently presented evidence of large-scale voter data manipulation across India. The Aland constituency, he noted, was one of the examples cited by Gandhi.

“Now the truth has come out. This is exactly what Rahul Gandhi has been saying, how the BJP came to power through illegal practices,” Patil told reporters.

According to reports, Rs 75 to Rs 80 was allegedly paid for each deleted voter name in Aland. Patil said, “We are talking only about Aland, but such manipulation could happen anywhere in India. The EC must take responsibility and investigate. The BJP should answer for this.”

Patil accused both the BJP and the EC of ignoring earlier warnings. “Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, was repeatedly asked for proof instead of conducting a proper investigation. Now it has been proven. Let’s see how the EC and BJP respond,” he added.

The SIT investigating voter data manipulation in Aland found that requests were made to delete 6,994 voter names , most of which were found to be bogus. Six suspects have been identified, reportedly paid Rs 80 for each successful deletion .

Aland, in Kalaburagi district, is the home turf of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and is represented by senior Congress MLA B R Patil. B R Patil has said he would have lost the 2023 Assembly election if these voter names had been removed; he defeated BJP candidate Subhash Guttedar by about 10,000 votes .

Rahul Gandhi’s recent presentation highlighted this case as part of his broader allegation that voter data manipulation is happening across India , suggesting that such practices are being used to influence election outcomes in favor of the BJP.