Siddaramaiah orders Law dept probe into Lok Sabha ‘vote rigging’ claims
This follows Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Congress lost seven seats due to “vote theft,” citing discrepancies between internal polling and official results
Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that the state’s Law Department will investigate allegations of vote rigging in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections before the upcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls.
“The Law Department will investigate vote rigging in the Lok Sabha elections, before the BBMP elections. Legal action will be taken as per the recommendation given by them. Advocate General will be instructed to conduct the investigation quickly and submit a report,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
The Chief Minister’s announcement came after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that the 2024 general elections were “choreographed” by the Election Commission to benefit the BJP. Gandhi, citing internal party analysis, said the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but secured only nine. He claimed the party investigated seven unexpected losses and zeroed in on Mahadevapura, where he alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) of 1,00,250 votes.
Presenting the findings, Gandhi said, “Our internal polling told us we would win 16 seats in Karnataka; we won nine. We then focused on seven unexpected losses. We focused on Mahadevapur… All data is 2024 data from the Election Commission; the total votes polled in the Lok Sabha were 6.26 lakhs. The BJP won with 6,58,915, securing a margin of 32,707. But then we look at Mahadevapura, where Congress polls 1,15,586 and BJP polls 2,29,632. Congress wins all Vidhan Sabhas but this one.”
He alleged the 1,00,250 votes were “stolen in five different ways” — including duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters registered at a single address where only one family resides. “One family living in that house,” he remarked.
Karnataka Minister G Parameshwara backed Gandhi’s claims, saying, “Since there are allegations of vote rigging in our state constituency, we will file a complaint in the state on behalf of the KPCC. Rahul Gandhi, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will file a complaint with the Central Election Commission… The Election Commission has asked Rahul Gandhi to provide documents regarding the allegations.”
He added, “The Election Commission can say whatever it wants, but we will provide them according to the rules of the commission. There is no need for Rahul Gandhi to provide documents. Since he is in our state, the KPCC President will provide them. There is a difference in the voter list, which means the commission should accept it…”
The Election Commission of India (ECI) responded sharply, issuing an official statement, “Rahul Gandhi should either give a Declaration as per rules or apologise to the country for his false allegations.”
This dispute has set the stage for both legal and political confrontations ahead of the BBMP elections, with the Karnataka government’s investigation, Congress’s planned complaints to state and central poll bodies, and the ECI’s strong counter framing the next chapter in the controversy.
With inputs from ANI
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