On vote theft in Karnataka's Aland constituency

The early revelations from the probe by the Karnataka SIT pertaining to deletion of names from the electoral list of Aland constituency in 2023 Assembly elections, are shocking. It adds substance to such allegations made by opposition parties following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar.

That the suspects were paid Rs. 80 for every application made for deletion of certain names from the voters list adds further spice to the l’affaire vote theft. While the final report of the SIT probe will be keenly awaited to fix culpability, the new revelations are enough to show that the electronic device-based system is vulnerable to manipulation.

It further proves that those with resources can very well deprive communities and segments of voters of the right to vote through use of as simple a device as a cell-phone. This should be taken as no less than an alarm as to how the neutrality of a body like the Central Election Commission can be compromised and the inclusivity of Indian democracy can be turned into a daydream.

The fact that the CEC has refused to take the allegations of vote theft seriously should raise concern. The early revelations thrown up by the Karnataka SIT probe should be enough of a pointer to the mess waiting to be dredged up.