The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected allegations of voter deletion and manipulation in the Aland constituency of Karnataka during the 2023 elections, asserting that the charges are baseless and incorrect. The ECI maintains that it had already taken cognizance of the issue back in 2023, filing a First Information Report (FIR) to investigate the matter.

The allegations, spearheaded by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, claim that there were attempts to delete 6,018 votes from the Aland constituency using centralized software and mobile phones registered outside Karnataka. Gandhi has accused the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of protecting those who are "destroying" Indian democracy by refusing to share technical details related to the alleged voter deletion attempts. He has demanded that the ECI hand over IP address details connected to the applications made to delete voters within seven days, implying that non-cooperation would suggest the ECI is complicit in undermining the Constitution.

In response to the allegations, the ECI stated that certain unsuccessful attempts were indeed made in 2023 to manipulate the voter list, prompting the commission to file an FIR to investigate the matter. However, the ECI has not publicly disclosed comprehensive details sought by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Karnataka, which has been investigating the alleged irregularities.

The Karnataka government is considering forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged voter fraud across multiple constituencies in the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has criticized the ECI for dismissing the charges as baseless instead of addressing the specific demands for information. He questioned why the ECI was withholding crucial digital evidence despite repeated requests from the CID. According to Siddaramaiah, the CID has written to the ECI 18 times in the last 18 months, seeking details such as IP addresses and OTP trails, but has received little to no response.

Several Karnataka ministers have voiced their support for Rahul Gandhi's concerns, with some accusing the ECI of favoring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They have questioned the procedural gaps and the lack of clarity regarding who initiated the deletions.

The BJP has dismissed the Congress's allegations as a ploy to attack the Election Commission and insult the people's mandate. The BJP argues that in the 2023 elections, the people of Aland voted for the Congress, and the BJP accepted the result. They further state that the Congress is inventing conspiracy theories and crying "vote chori" because they refuse to believe that people can reject them.

The Aland constituency is particularly noteworthy because the Congress won the seat in the 2023 elections. The state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has been actively seeking details of the IP addresses used to fill online applications for voter deletions, but the EC has allegedly not responded. The Congress alleges that the ECI has not responded to the Karnataka CID's requests for information, even after the CID sent multiple letters.