Bengaluru, August 8, 2025: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has backed Congress Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in alleging widespread electoral fraud in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Siddaramaiah claimed that Gandhi presented “hard evidence” on Thursday, revealing systematic vote theft across India, enabling Prime Minister Narendra Modi to retain power.
In a media statement, Siddaramaiah asserted, “Despite massive public discontent, Narendra Modi secured power through electoral fraud. The documents released by Rahul Gandhi provide undeniable proof.” He further demanded Modi’s resignation, stating, “Modi has no moral right to remain in office. He must resign and dissolve the government immediately.”
The Congress Party, under Gandhi’s leadership, conducted a six-month investigation into voter records in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. The probe allegedly uncovered evidence of systematic vote theft, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused of illegally securing 1,00,250 votes in a constituency of approximately 3.25 lakh voters.
Siddaramaiah highlighted five methods of alleged electoral malpractice in Mahadevapura:
- Fake Voters: Approximately 11,965 fake voters reportedly cast votes, with some individuals voting in multiple polling booths and even outside Karnataka, indicating deliberate misuse of the electoral process.
- Voters with Fake Addresses: Around 40,009 voters were registered with non-existent addresses, including “House Number 0” or random, invalid entries for names and addresses.
- Multiple Voters at Single Addresses: A total of 10,452 voters were registered under a few addresses, including 80 voter IDs linked to a single-bedroom house and 68 to a private club, with none of the listed voters residing at these locations.
- Unidentifiable Voter Photographs: About 4,132 voter ID cards had missing or unclear photos, yet these voters were allowed to cast ballots, breaching electoral protocols.
- Elderly “First-Time Voters”: An astonishing 33,692 voters aged 60 to 90 were registered as first-time voters via Form 6, including individuals as old as 89 and 98, raising suspicions of fraudulent registrations.
Siddaramaiah accused the Election Commission of complicity, alleging it altered rules to suppress information and withhold electronic data and CCTV footage requested by Gandhi. “Had the Election Commission acted impartially, this scam could have been exposed within days,” he said, adding that similar tactics were likely employed nationwide by the BJP to retain power.
The Congress Party vowed to escalate its campaign, promising to raise awareness of the alleged fraud across the country.