'We caught the theft...': Rahul Gandhi hits at CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged voter deletion

Leader of Opposition in Lok Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a jibe at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged that the ECI took a corrective measure for voter deletion only after he alleged "vote theft" in Aland.

Sharing a media report, Rahul Gandhi asked the Election Commission to submit the evidence to the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

"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?" the Congress MP wrote on X.

This comes amid Rahul Gandhi's allegations of an attempt to delete over 6000 votes in Karnataka's Aland.

While the Election Commission has refuted the allegations and has maintained that "no deletion of votes can be done online by any member of the public", this has sparked a fresh political row where the Opposition is pushing the allegations, while the ruling parties have accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading falsehood.

Earlier today, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge lashed out at the Election Commission, alleging that a conspiracy is now being hatched across the country to cut the votes of millions of people.

While delivering his opening remarks at the meeting of the Extended Congress Working Committee in Patna, Kharge questioned the Election Commission's impartiality and transparency.

"The foundation of democracy is fair and transparent elections. However, serious questions are being raised today about the impartiality and transparency of the Election Commission itself. Revelations have surfaced in various states, and instead of answering those questions, the EC is demanding affidavits from us," the Congress President said.

Amid a call for Bihar-like nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, Kharge flagged voter deletion and said, "Following the example of Bihar, a conspiracy is now being hatched across the country to cut the votes of millions of people. Vote theft means the theft of rations, pensions, medicines, children's scholarships, and exam papers belonging to Dalits, tribals, backward classes, extremely backward classes, minorities, the vulnerable, and the poor".