Overview

• Chief Minister Siddaramaiah constituted an SIT led by the ADGP–CID, with two SPs, to investigate alleged attempts to remove over 6,000 names from Aland’s rolls during the 2023 Karnataka election, with powers to probe related cases statewide.
• The Election Commission says no votes can be deleted online without due process, reports that 6,018 Form 7 applications in Aland led to only 24 deletions and 5,994 rejections, and notes an FIR was filed in 2023 by the electoral officer.
• Rahul Gandhi renewed allegations of software-driven impersonation and accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of shielding perpetrators, asserting Karnataka CID has repeatedly sought OTP and IP data from the EC and vowing to release further proof.
• AAP revived separate claims of large-scale deletions in Delhi’s New Delhi seat, alleging EC inaction, while the Commission said it issued a 76-page response with annexures and cited police complaints against false applications.
• Reporting underscores statutory safeguards requiring Form 7, notice, field verification and hearings, with ERONet/ERMS logging activity rather than enabling automatic removals, as an evidentiary standoff over technical logs persists.