'Caught Theft, Now We’ll Catch Thieves Too': Rahul Gandhi Attacks ECI After Aadhaar-Based ‘E-Sign’ Rollout
Rahul Gandhi accuses the ECI of belatedly addressing vote manipulation in Aland, Karnataka, demanding evidence be given to CID. He alleges 6,000 votes were targeted for deletion before the 2023 elections.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of acting only after his repeated warnings on alleged vote manipulation, asserting that the panel has now locked the “theft” but must still identify those behind it. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over providing evidence to the Karnataka CID regarding the alleged deletion of votes in Aland.
“Gyanesh ji, we caught the theft and only then did you remember to put a lock — now we’ll catch the thieves too. So tell us, when are you going to give the evidence to CID?” Gandhi wrote in a post on X.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations
Gandhi has claimed that thousands of votes were targeted for cancellation in Aland constituency before the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls. According to him, the deletions were allegedly carried out through a software system, but were detected by the CID, which subsequently registered an FIR and began investigating the suspected fraud.
At a press conference earlier, Gandhi said “someone” had attempted to delete around 6,000 names through online applications using misused identities. He added that the mobile numbers used for OTP verification did not belong to the voters in question.
ECI Introduces ‘E-Sign’ Feature
According to The Indian Express, the ECI has recently added an Aadhaar-based ‘e-sign’ mechanism on its ECINet portal and app. This feature makes Aadhaar-linked phone number authentication compulsory for new voter registration, deletions, and corrections.
Applicants now need to match their voter card details with Aadhaar credentials and verify via an OTP sent to their Aadhaar-linked mobile number. The external authentication is carried out through a Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) portal before redirecting back to ECINet for final submission.
The ECI maintained that this upgrade was not in response to Aland but part of its broader modernisation. According to IE, officials said the system substantially reduces the possibility of fraudulent deletions such as those alleged by Gandhi.
Election Commission’s Response on Aland Charge
The ECI clarified in a statement that “No deletion of any vote can be done online by any member of the public, as misconceived by Shri Rahul Gandhi. No deletion can take place without giving an opportunity of being heard to the affected person.”
It further revealed that of the 6,018 deletion requests reviewed in Aland in 2023, only 24 were valid. The remaining 5,994 were found ineligible after verification, and the ECI itself filed the FIR to probe the attempted misuse.
The ECINet, launched earlier this year, integrates around 40 earlier applications, including ERONet introduced in 2018, streamlining voter registration and verification processes.
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