Voter List Manipulation Probe Expands to Two Other Seats in Kalaburagi District

Strategic Insights -

Investigations into a data centre at the heart of allegations of voter list manipulation have revealed that it may have been used in two other seats in Kalaburagi district, raising concerns of a wide-scale attempt to delete names from voters' lists ahead of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls. Sources close to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case have indicated that it were primarily BJP leaders in Kalaburagi region who approached the data centre for its services, and that an agreement was signed for changes to voter lists on behalf of a candidate from another constituency in the region with the data centre.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SIT has found evidence that a data centre used for allegedly fraudulent voter deletions may have been used in at least two other seats in Kalaburagi district.
  • Sources said that it were primarily BJP leaders in Kalaburagi region who approached the data centre for its services, and that an agreement was signed for changes to voter lists on behalf of a candidate from another constituency in the region with the data centre.
  • In one constituency in Gulbarga city, as many as 35,000 voter names (primarily minorities) were manipulated, according to an official.
  • The SIT probe has reportedly found that funds were transferred through an accountant in Kalaburagi to the operators of the data centre, with the accountant's laptop being seized as part of the investigation.
  • Three data entry operators have been questioned and investigated, with two of them, Mohammed Ashfaq and Md Akram, having been questioned in 2023 and Ashfaq subsequently moving to Dubai.
  • Sources familiar with the SIT probe said that in the case of Aland, "key evidence required to prosecute the case" had been found, but the probe team does not currently have a mandate to investigate alleged vote manipulation in other Kalaburagi seats.
  • Rahul Gandhi had given the example of Aland as one of the instances of "vote chori" at a press conference last month, and Congress minister Priyank Kharge said that the evidence proves the party's claims and that the BJP's "dirty tricks" will be exposed.
  • The Kalaburagi region has traditionally been a stronghold of the Congress due to the large number of voters from Dalit, backward and minority communities, and sources said that like Aland, Assembly constituencies where victory margins have been narrow in recent elections were the primary targets for vote manipulation efforts.

Statistics:

  • 35,000 voter names were manipulated in one constituency in Gulbarga city, according to an official.
  • 6,018 names were sought to be deleted through remote applications in the Aland constituency, with only 24 applications being valid.
  • Over 3,000 fake phone numbers were used to file deletion applications.
  • The SIT probe has reportedly found that funds were transferred through an accountant in Kalaburagi to the operators of the data centre.

Sources:

  • The Indian Express
  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd., distributed by Contify.com