Rahul Gandhi’s recent accusation of voter fraud in Bengaluru led to an on-ground investigation focused on Booth No. 470 in the Mahadevapura constituency, a region popular among tech workers due to its proximity to the heavily congested Outer Ring Road (ORR).
READ | Five women from Karnataka selected for UK master’s courses on Chevening scholarships
A spotlight was on House No. 35 in Muni Reddy Garden — a space measuring 10 to 15 sqft. Despite its size, records suggested that 80 voters are listed at this address. The home was found to be currently occupied by Dipankar, a food delivery worker from West Bengal who shifted into the house a month ago. He denied any connection with the names on the voter roll and confirmed he wasn’t registered as a voter in Bengaluru, according to a report on India Today.
It was found that an individual by the name of Jayaram Reddy was the owner of the house. Upon questioning, he initially acknowledged an affiliation with the BJP but clarified that he only votes for the party rather than working directly with it.
{{/usCountry}}It was found that an individual by the name of Jayaram Reddy was the owner of the house. Upon questioning, he initially acknowledged an affiliation with the BJP but clarified that he only votes for the party rather than working directly with it.
{{/usCountry}}Reddy confirmed that the official electoral roll shows 80 names tied to his property, even though most have moved away to locations such as Odisha, Bihar and Mandya. Still, a handful continue to visit at the time of polling to exercise their voting rights, he said.
READ | Teenage boy killed by uncle in Bengaluru over money for online games: Report
Munirathna, the Booth Level Officer overseeing the area, echoed these findings, said the report. He explained that many migrant workers secure voter ID cards using rental agreements but do not always update their records when they relocate. This process often leaves the electoral rolls bloated with names of people long gone. The list of people who have shifted elsewhere has already been submitted for review, but officially removing them from the list is still ongoing. Many of the voters themselves hesitate to have their names struck off, arguing they still need a local ID and return for elections.
The controversy heightened after Rahul Gandhi presented evidence of supposed duplicate and fake entries in the voter rolls at a press conference, alleging that more than 1,00,000 votes in Mahadevapura were tainted out of a total of 6,50,000. The Karnataka state election commission responded by requesting a formal affidavit from Gandhi.