Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah dropped a bombshell on Thursday, backing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s sensational allegations of a sophisticated "votes theft" scheme during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state. Siddaramaiah confirmed that Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, possesses concrete evidence exposing the modus operandi of electoral manipulation, sparking a fierce political row.
Gandhi, who first raised the alarm on July 23 amid controversy over electoral roll revisions in Bihar, claimed that elections across India are being "stolen." His accusations zeroed in on Karnataka, where he said the Congress had meticulously uncovered the mechanics of vote rigging by analyzing a single Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress leader is set to lead a high-profile protest in Bengaluru on August 5, where he will present his findings to Election Commission officials.
"Rahul Gandhi has solid evidence," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Bengaluru. "He’s coming here to protest and meet Election Commission officials to expose this fraud." The Chief Minister added that the format and venue of the protest—whether a rally, march, or public meeting—would be finalized soon, following discussions to comply with court directives and address logistical concerns.
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Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, also the Karnataka Congress President, emphasized the gravity of Gandhi’s mission. "Rahul has conducted in-depth research on vote theft. This isn’t just a political stunt—he’s here to educate the people of Karnataka and the nation about what happened during the parliamentary polls," Shivakumar said. He stressed that the Congress is fighting to protect democracy, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning the Election Commission into a political tool.
Shivakumar dismissed BJP’s attempts to downplay the issue, noting that Karnataka’s Congress-led government doesn’t absolve the need to address electoral fraud. "Why is the BJP so rattled by our agenda? We’re answerable to the people, not them. We’ll expose their fraud, including how they misused the system during the 2023 Assembly elections," he said, hinting at more revelations during Gandhi’s visit.
Gandhi’s allegations are backed by a six-month investigation into one Karnataka constituency, where Congress researchers digitized the voter list—a process he claims revealed a systematic manipulation. "We found bhayankar chori (massive theft)," Gandhi said last week. "The voter lists provided on paper can’t be analyzed, but we converted one constituency’s list into a digital format. We’ve uncovered their entire system—how they do it, who votes, and where new voters are added."
According to party sources, Congress workers across multiple Karnataka constituencies reported irregularities, including the sudden addition of thousands of new voters and the unexplained removal of long-standing voters’ names. Siddaramaiah alleged that these "illegal manipulations" by the BJP, facilitated through their "misuse" of the Election Commission, contributed to Congress’s unexpected setbacks in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, despite their strong performance in the 2023 state Assembly elections.
The BJP, however, has hit back, accusing Congress of manufacturing a controversy to deflect from their electoral losses. Karnataka BJP leaders questioned why Congress would raise such allegations in a state they govern, calling it a desperate bid to stay relevant. "If there was vote theft, how did Congress win the state elections?" a senior BJP leader asked, requesting anonymity.
Political analysts say Gandhi’s protest could have far-reaching implications, especially as it coincides with growing national scrutiny over electoral processes. The Bihar electoral roll controversy, where millions of voters were reportedly added or removed, has already fueled suspicions of systemic flaws. Gandhi’s decision to focus on Karnataka—a state with a tech-savvy electorate and a history of competitive politics—could amplify his narrative of a broader democratic crisis.
As Bengaluru braces for Gandhi’s August 5 protest, the Congress is rallying its cadre to turn out in large numbers. Party insiders say the event will not only spotlight the alleged vote theft but also serve as a platform to galvanize public opinion against what they call the BJP’s "assault on democracy." With Gandhi promising to lay bare the evidence "in black and white," all eyes are on Karnataka as this explosive political drama unfolds.
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