Bengaluru, August 8, 2025: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, known for his undefeated record in elections, alleged on Friday that his first-ever defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was due to widespread electoral fraud orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking at a massive Congress protest against alleged vote theft at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Kharge claimed, “In my over 50 years of political life, I won more than 12 elections. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I faced my first defeat due to electoral rigging.”
Kharge accused the BJP of engaging in “fake voting” across five Assembly segments within the Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency, where he contested in 2019. He alleged that the BJP secured approximately 20,000 votes per segment through fraudulent means.
Targeting the Modi government, Kharge further claimed that the BJP has misused agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Income Tax Department to intimidate opponents and cling to power.
Citing Karnataka as an example, he said, “Despite lacking a clear majority, the BJP toppled the then-ruling coalition government by inducing defections of several MLAs. The same tactics were used in Goa, Maharashtra, and Manipur. They didn’t win elections but bought governments with money.”
Kharge also alleged that the BJP’s victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was not legitimate. “The secret behind BJP’s win has now been exposed. They secured victory through vote theft,” he stated, adding that the Congress would take this issue to the people across the country.