Rahul Gandhi has proof of 'votes theft' in Karnataka, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Bengaluru on August 5 to lead a protest against the alleged electoral irregularities.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday confirmed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has gathered evidence to support his allegation of "votes theft" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the state.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah presents the state Budget 2025-26, in Bengaluru on March 7, 2025. (PTI)

Rahul Gandhi is set to visit Bengaluru on August 5 to lead a protest and submit a representation to the Election Commission over the alleged electoral irregularities.

“Rahul Gandhi has the evidence. He is coming here to protest and meet the Election Commission officials in Karnataka,” Siddaramaiah told reporters according to news agency PTI, responding to a query on whether the Congress had documentation to support its claims.

What triggered the allegation

The comments come days after Rahul Gandhi, now Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, accused the ruling BJP of "stealing elections". On July 23, amid a separate controversy regarding electoral roll revisions in Bihar, Gandhi claimed that the Congress had uncovered the modus operandi of vote manipulation after a deep analysis of a single Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka.

According to him, the Congress team digitised a paper-based voter list and took six months to investigate the patterns of manipulation, including sudden removals of genuine voters and the addition of new, questionable entries.

“In Karnataka, we have found bhayankar chori (massive theft). I will show it in black and white to you and the Election Commission. We have uncovered how the chori is done and from where,” Gandhi had said.

Congress to reveal full findings on August 5

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also heads the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, said final details of the protest ,whether it will be a rally, march or sit-in, will be decided soon, citing technical and legal considerations related to event permissions in Bengaluru.

Speaking to the media, Shivakumar said Gandhi’s visit is not just political but aims to "educate the people of Karnataka and India" about what allegedly happened during the general election.

“We might have lost or won elections, but we want to save democracy. We don’t want the Election Commission to be part of a political process,” he stated.

BJP reacts, Congress hits back

When questioned about the relevance of these allegations in a state where the Congress is in power, Shivakumar retorted:

“Why are they (BJP) worried about our political agenda? We are answerable to the people of Karnataka, not them.”

He further accused the BJP of fraud and electoral malpractice, claiming similar tactics were used even during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

“We have done our research. We’re not sitting quietly. Rahul Gandhi will explain everything, I don’t want to disclose more now,” Shivakumar said.

Backed by Gandhi’s findings, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier claimed that the BJP had manipulated the Lok Sabha polls using the Election Commission as a tool.

He said that in multiple constituencies, Congress workers noticed the sudden inclusion of unfamiliar names in voter rolls and the deletion of long-time voters without any justification.

(With PTI inputs)