CM voices support for claims of voter list fraud

Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim of large-scale voter list manipulation in Karnataka, stating that such tampering may have influenced the outcome of the recent Lok Sabha elections. He also took aim at the Election Commission, arguing that the constitutional body had failed to act decisively in previous complaints related to voter rolls.

- Arun Dev

Responding to the poll panel's comment that the Congress had not submitted a formal complaint regarding alleged voter fraud, Siddaramaiah said, “Even if voter manipulation has occurred, by the time the legal process is complete, the government's term is over. That's the reality we are dealing with.” He added that in several cases, the Election Commission had reacted negatively when concerns about voter lists were raised.

Citing irregularities during the 2024 general elections, he said, “In the last Lok Sabha elections, names of eligible voters were removed from the list, and new names of people unrelated to the constituency were added. This could have happened across the country.”

He pointed to the Bengaluru Central seat as an example. “Congress was leading in every Assembly segment of the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. But because of what happened in the Mahadevapura segment, the party lost,” he said. Siddaramaiah also noted that Rahul Gandhi had raised this matter both inside and outside Parliament, and claimed that the Congress leader possesses evidence to support his allegations.