TDP seeks CBI probe into alleged voters' data theft in AP CEO office

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Tuesday alleged that YSR Congress Party's political consulting firm was involved in data theft from the office of the chief electoral office (CEO) in Andhra Pradesh and demanded a CBI inquiry.

Raising the issue during a debate on the Motion of thanks on the President's address in Rajya Sabha, TDP MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar cited news reports on the alleged data theft in the CEO's office.

He alleged that two members from I-PAC, the political consulting firm of the ruling party YSRCP, joined the CEO office as outsourced IT employees in October 2023. They stole the data during November-December 2023 and left the job after getting the data, he claimed, The I-PAC members were allegedly in touch with key officials in the CEO's office who gave their login details to them. They have also collected login details of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), he claimed.

"They stole the entire data and have given it to the party (YSRCP) organisation. The data for 2021 and 2022 is missing from the CEO's office," he claimed in the House.

Even the details asked by the Election Commission in connection with the inquiry into Tirupati parliamentary bye-elections are not available with the CEO now, he added.

Terming it as a matter of grave concern that such important data could be stolen from the office of the CEO, Kumar said, "For free and fair election, the central government has to intervene through CEC and order CBI inquiry into this alleged crime." The TDP MP said he has made a representation in this regard before the Election Commission as well.

"It is shocking to know that such a criminal conspiracy could have been hatched by the YSRCP by positioning the proxies in the CEO's office through I-PAC, a YSRCP's political consulting agency," he said in the letter written to the CEC.

In the last six months, Kumar alleged, the YSRCP is stealing the data and removing genuine voters and admitting the bogus voters.

After an inquiry was ordered, some returning officers and government officials were suspended, he added. PTI LUX LUX RT RT