SIT finds voter list tampering spread beyond Aland in Karnataka

The alleged voter list manipulation case that rocked Karnataka’s Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections appears to have been part of a wider, orchestrated effort.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe has now revealed that attempts to fraudulently delete voters’ names extended beyond Aland, reaching at least two other constituencies in Kalaburagi district.

According to investigators, a local data centre at the heart of the scandal was allegedly used to make thousands of illegal online applications for voter deletions. SIT sources said that several BJP leaders from the Kalaburagi region had approached the centre for its “services” — with one agreement reportedly signed on behalf of a candidate from another constituency.

“In one constituency of Gulbarga city, as many as 35,000 voter names — primarily minorities — were manipulated,” a senior official said.

The digital trail

The SIT has tracked fund transfers from an accountant in Kalaburagi to the data centre operators, identifying the accountant as a “key player.” His laptop has been seized.

Investigators have also questioned data entry staff who were allegedly paid ₹80 per online application.

The centre, run by local resident Mohammed Ashfaq and his associate Md Akram, was previously flagged in 2023 before Ashfaq moved to Dubai.

In the Aland case itself, sources said “key evidence required to prosecute the case” has been gathered — but the SIT’s current mandate does not extend to probing other Kalaburagi constituencies.

Political heat rises

Congress leaders have seized on the findings as vindication of their long-standing accusations of “vote chori.”
“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,” said Congress minister Priyank Kharge.

BJP leader Chandrakanth Patil, who lost narrowly from Gulbarga North in 2023, denied wrongdoing, claiming any agreement with the data centre “may have been done by local leaders legally.”

“Local camps were held to revise voter lists, and everything was done transparently,” he said — while countering that “bogus votes among minorities” were instead a Congress ploy.

The roots of the Aland probe

The case first came to light when Congress’s B R Patil, the eventual winner from Aland, complained in early 2023 that over 6,600 voters’ names had been fraudulently deleted using fake mobile identities.

A subsequent official verification revealed that out of 6,018 deletion requests filed remotely, only 24 were valid. Over 3,000 fake phone numbers had been used to flood the Election Commission’s portal, raising questions about unauthorized access.

Narrow margins, targeted deletions

Investigators believe constituencies with thin victory margins — like Aland and Gulbarga North — were prime targets for manipulation. In 2023, the Congress swept Kalaburagi district but with close margins in seven of nine seats.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had cited Aland as “proof of planned vote theft,” noting that deletions were concentrated in booths the Congress had dominated in 2018.
“The top 10 booths with maximum deletions were Congress strongholds. It was not a coincidence but a planned operation,” Gandhi said in September.

What lies ahead

The SIT is now pursuing digital forensics to determine how the data centre accessed the EC’s secure voter portal. With political blame intensifying and evidence pointing to multiple constituencies, the probe could soon expand — potentially exposing a broader pattern of voter list tampering in one of Karnataka’s most politically sensitive regions.