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Case filed over alleged voter fraud in Bengaluru's Mahadevapura, cited by Rahul Gandhi in Aug presser
Bengaluru police investigate electoral fraud allegations in Mahadevapura after a resident claimed fake voters were added to rolls ahead of the 2024 elections.
Bengaluru police have opened an investigation into allegations of large-scale electoral fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, after a city resident filed a detailed complaint claiming that fake voters were inserted into the rolls ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The case, now registered at a city police station, revives concerns that had surfaced months earlier regarding suspected irregularities in one of Bengaluru Central’s most closely watched segments.
Y Vinoda (39), a resident of Nallurhalli, alleged that unidentified government officials, political operatives and private individuals conspired to manipulate the electoral rolls by adding numerous fake names during the run-up to the 2024 general election, reported news agency PTI,.
(Also Read: Opposition to take on Centre over SIR, ‘vote theft’ in Parliament)
She claimed that the presence of these bogus entries may have influenced the outcome under the Bengaluru Central Parliamentary Constituency, calling the alleged additions a serious breach of democratic integrity.
Vinoda stated that such large-scale tampering could not have occurred without the direct involvement of certain officials and individuals linked to the political party that “benefited” from the irregularities.
In her complaint, she demanded a thorough and impartial probe into suspected forgery and falsification of voter rolls prior to the polls, urging police to take legal action against everyone involved. Police confirmed that an FIR has been filed and that an investigation is underway.
Earlier allegations
The complaint comes months after electoral fraud allegations in August, when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi publicly claimed that Mahadevapura had seen “serious voter manipulation.” During a press conference, Gandhi alleged that the constituency witnessed bulk entries using Form 6, duplicate registrations across multiple states, and even cited records of 68 voters registered under the address of a beer bar.
His charge triggered a sharp political confrontation. Bengaluru Central BJP MP PC Mohan, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election by 32,707 votes (a margin of 2.58% out of more than 13 lakh votes cast), dismissed Gandhi’s remarks as an “insult to the people of Bengaluru.” Mohan argued that the BJP’s victory reflected “the rejection of Congress-style politics,” not electoral malpractice, and said thousands of voters, particularly Hindus, had endorsed the party wholeheartedly.
Also Read: Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan hits back at Rahul Gandhi, says ‘voters are not Congress property’)
With the new FIR now filed, the controversy around Mahadevapura’s voter rolls has returned to the spotlight, and police are expected to examine whether any of the earlier allegations intersect with the latest complaint.
(With PTI inputs)
