CEC Gyanesh Kumar Must Resign for Protecting Electoral Fraudsters

The Social Democratic Party of India expresses deep outrage at the shocking revelations from the Karnataka CEO’s own note, which confirm a massive attempt to erase voters through fraudulent applications. In December 2022, over 6,018 Form 7 requests were submitted via the ECI’s NVSP, VHA, and Garuda portals, targeting primarily OBC, SC, ST, and minority communities in Congress strongholds. While 5,994 were eventually rejected, 2,494 voters had already been illegally deleted before the fraud was halted. An FIR was filed, yet the fact remains that the Election Commission of India’s system was manipulated with impunity.

Mohammad Shafi, National Vice President of the SDPI, unequivocally condemns the ECI for its blatant complicity in undermining the sanctity of India’s democracy. This was nothing short of digital booth capturing and political thuggery conducted under its watch. The fraudulent deletions could have decisively influenced the 2023 Karnataka Assembly election in Aland, where the Congress margin was only 10,348 votes.

Equally disturbing is the ECI’s continued refusal to cooperate with the Karnataka CID by denying access to crucial technical data such as IP addresses, OTP trails, and login details, despite 18 formal requests over 18 months. This obstruction not only shields the perpetrators, likely linked to the ruling BJP, but also exposes the Commission’s betrayal of its constitutional mandate. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, by presiding over such obstruction, has reduced his office to that of a watchman for vote thieves.

This malpractice is not confined to Karnataka. Similar large-scale fraud surfaced in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and Mahadevapura, where over one lakh bogus votes were detected. Voter fraud has also been exposed in Kerala’s Thrissur constituency, where politician-turned-actor Suresh Gopi secured victory, highlighting that electoral malpractice is not limited to Karnataka.

The SDPI demands an immediate Supreme Court-monitored probe, the resignation of the CEC, release of all withheld data, and a nationwide voter roll audit. India’s democracy cannot survive such institutionalized betrayal, and those responsible must face exemplary punishment.