SIT probe reveals wider voter list manipulation in Karnataka’s Kalaburagi region

The alleged attempt to fraudulently delete voter names ahead of the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections may have extended beyond Aland constituency, according to findings from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

The Indian Express reported that investigators have discovered that the data centre at the heart of the Aland voter deletion scandal may also have been used to manipulate electoral rolls in at least two other constituencies within Kalaburagi district.

Sources familiar with the investigation said it was primarily BJP leaders from the Kalaburagi region who engaged the services of the data centre. “An agreement was reportedly signed to alter voter lists on behalf of a candidate from another constituency in the district,” one official said.

Preliminary findings suggest that in one of the affected constituencies, Gulbarga City, about 35,000 voter names, predominantly belonging to minority communities, were manipulated. Investigators have also traced financial transfers routed through an accountant in Kalaburagi to the data centre operators. “The accountant was a key conduit, and his laptop has been seized,” an official said.

Earlier reports indicated that the data centre staff were paid Rs 80 for every fraudulent online application made through the Election Commission’s portal.

The centre was allegedly run by local resident Mohammed Ashfaq, who has since moved to Dubai, along with his associate Md Akram. Three data entry operators linked to the operation have also been questioned.

The SIT has reportedly gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute those involved in the Aland case. However, its current mandate does not extend to probing the suspected manipulation in other Kalaburagi constituencies.

Congress leaders have seized on the findings, accusing the BJP of orchestrating a systematic attempt to tamper with the electoral rolls. “All investigations now point to foul play by BJP leaders and their associates. Every dirty trick from the BJP’s ‘vote chori’ playbook will be exposed,” minister Priyank Kharge, who hails from the region told the Indian Express.

Kalaburagi has long been a Congress stronghold, bolstered by significant Dalit, backward, and minority populations. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, a native of the district, has represented both Gurmitkal in the Assembly and the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat.

Investigators believe the manipulation efforts targeted constituencies with narrow victory margins. In the 2023 polls, the Congress swept Kalaburagi, winning five of nine Assembly seats, several by thin margins.

The probe began after Congress MLA B.R. Patil, who contested from Aland, lodged a complaint in early 2023 alleging that over 6,600 voter names were fraudulently marked for deletion across 254 polling booths. Having lost the 2018 election to BJP’s Subhash Guttedar by just 697 votes, Patil was alert to possible irregularities during the voter list revision exercise conducted between December 2022 and February 2023.

Following Patil’s complaint, the Aland Returning Officer filed a police report on 21 February 2023. The FIR stated that “unknown persons used multiple mobile phones to place online applications for deletion of names of voters without their consent or knowledge.”

A subsequent field verification found that of 6,018 deletion requests, only 24 were valid. The SIT is now investigating how the operators gained unauthorised access to the Election Commission’s online portal to process these requests, many of which were filed using more than 3,000 fake mobile numbers.

While BJP leader Subhash Guttedar, whose properties were searched by the SIT, has denied wrongdoing, dismissing reports of evidence destruction as “trash burnt for Deepavali”, the investigation continues to expand in scope.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have repeatedly cited Aland as an example of what they call “vote theft”. “The top 10 booths with maximum deletions were all Congress strongholds,” Gandhi said at a recent press conference, calling the incident “a planned operation” rather than coincidence.

With the SIT gathering evidence across multiple constituencies, the case has widened from a localised electoral irregularity to a potential district-wide conspiracy, one that could have implications for electoral integrity in the state.