A special investigation team (SIT) is currently probing claims of illegal voter name deletions in Karnataka’s Aland constituency, which allegedly occurred during the 2023 assembly elections. On Saturday, the SIT reported the discovery of partially charred documents, believed to be electoral records, at the Aland residence of former BJP MLA Subhash Guttedar.
Following the discovery, Superintendent of Police (CID) Shubhanvita and Deputy Superintendent of Police Aslam Pasha were dispatched to the scene. Earlier, on Friday night, a recovery team had reportedly found bundles of half-burnt records that were allegedly dumped into the Amarja River.
Meanwhile, Guttedar has refuted the allegations, accusing the current MLA, B.R. Patil, of making false claims to gain favor with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and secure a ministerial position. At a press conference in Kalaburagi, Guttedar stated, “B.R. Patil had earlier accused me of being involved in 23 murders, but the truth has since come out — I had no role in any of them. Now, to please his high command and push for a cabinet berth, he is making baseless allegations again.”
Regarding the discovered documents, Guttedar explained, “Ahead of Diwali, my house in Aland was being cleaned by domestic workers. They burned unwanted papers. As a politician, is it unusual for voter lists or pamphlets to be found in my house? If I really wanted to destroy evidence, would I do it openly in front of my home? Anyone involved in wrongdoing would have disposed of such documents far away from their residence.”
He also criticized Patil’s performance, stating that no significant development work has occurred in the Aland constituency. Guttedar asserted his willingness to cooperate fully with the investigation, emphasizing his confidence in the truth prevailing, even if it means fighting through the courts.