Last Updated:
Alleging that the ECI colluded with the BJP to “steal seats and elections”, Gandhi called on the Karnataka government to probe the alleged fraud in Mahadevapura
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during the party’s ‘Vote Adhikar Rally’. (PTI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with his deputy and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar, in consultation with home minister Dr G Parameshwara and law and parliamentary affairs minister HK Patil, will be in a huddle to “investigate voter fraud” identified in the state and flagged by Rahul Gandhi.
Government sources indicated that it is soon expected that a special committee will be constituted on an urgent basis to address the allegations, with a mandate to conduct a detailed probe into the irregularities Gandhi has highlighted.
Addressing a massive gathering of party workers at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed that 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created in Mahadevapura to secure a BJP victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of working for the BJP instead of upholding the Constitution, Gandhi insisted the commission’s foremost duty is to protect both the Constitution and the rights of citizens.
The Mahadevpura constituency was carved out of the erstwhile Varthur segment along with KR Pura during delimitation. Mahadevapura—known in recent decades for a rapid influx of migrants drawn to the IT corridor and tech hubs of Whitefield and Marathahalli—has seen steady population growth, offering affordable housing and jobs to newcomers.
With over four lakh residents, the Bengaluru Central parliamentary seat was also created at that time, and since then, BJP’s PC Mohan has won all four Lok Sabha elections held there — 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024 — with Mahadevapura and KR Pura serving as key support bases.
Mahadevapura, a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency, is currently represented by Manjula S, wife of BJP leader Aravind Limbavali, who held the seat in 2008, 2013, and 2018. Denied a ticket in 2023, Limbavali was replaced by his wife, who went on to win by 44,501 votes. Limbavali’s had been winning with thinner margins and later, using the Narendra Modi wave, the margins got bigger.
Alleging that the ECI colluded with the BJP to “steal seats and elections”, Gandhi called on the Karnataka government to probe the alleged fraud in Mahadevapura, which falls under the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency, and to take action against the officials responsible.
“The data we have uncovered in Mahadevapura is evidence of a crime. It took us six months to collect this evidence; every name was verified, every photo was matched. We believe that India’s election data itself is evidence and if anyone destroys that, it’ll mean they are destroying the evidence and perpetuating the crime,” said Gandhi during the protest.
In 2024, BJP’s Mohan’s margin of victory in Bengaluru Central was its narrowest since 2009 — just 32,707 votes — compared to earlier wins by 35,218 votes in 2009, a landslide 1.37 lakh in 2014, and 70,968 in 2019.
Pointing out that Mahadevapura was only one example, Gandhi alleged that Modi’s hold on power came from “stealing” 25 Lok Sabha seats—each supposedly won by a margin of roughly 34,000 votes.
“In Karnataka, according to our internal assessment, we were poised to win 16 seats but secured only nine. We asked the Election Commission for the digital voter list, but they refused. They also denied us access to polling videography and even changed the law to reduce the retention period for CCTV footage to 45 days,” he said.
“When the EC refused to cooperate, we began our own investigation. We chose Mahadevapura in the Bengaluru Central LS seat. In my press conference, I proved beyond doubt that the BJP and EC colluded to steal votes. Out of 6.5 lakh votes in Mahadevapura, 1,00,250 were fraudulent — that’s one in every six votes,” Gandhi told the crowd.
He claimed to possess physical, paper-based voter data and warned that if electronic data was withheld, Congress would continue its investigation and public campaign. “This is not just a crime against Karnataka—it is happening nationwide. You cannot hide evidence. The Karnataka government must act against ECI officials who inserted thousands of fake voters. The truth about Mahadevapura must be revealed,” he said.
“When we didn’t get help from the EC, we started investigation on our own. We chose Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Bangalore Central LS seat. In my PC yesterday, I proved it 100 per cent that BJP and EC colluded to steal votes. There are 6.5 lakh votes in Mahadevapura Assembly segment, out of which 1,00,250 votes were stolen. This implies that 1 out of every 6 votes was stolen,” said Gandhi.
Gandhi urged every Congress worker to protect the Constitution and its principles, questioning why the ECI is not sharing electronic voter data. “Instead, they are changing rules and taking down websites in states where people are demanding answers.”
Outlining what he called the “five methods” of the alleged voter fraud, Gandhi said:
1. Duplicate voters — individuals registered in multiple booths or even in voter lists of other states (11,965 such cases).
2. Fake or invalid addresses — including voters listed with no address or “House No. 0″ (around 40,000).
3. Bulk voters — up to 80 people registered at a single one-bedroom home, often owned by BJP leaders (10,452 cases).
4. Invalid photographs — either missing entirely or too small to identify the voter (4,132 cases).
5. Misuse of Form 6 — intended for first-time voters, but allegedly used to add individuals aged 80–90 years (about 34,000 cases).
Siddaramaiah demanded PM Modi’s resignation, saying he had “no moral right” to remain in office after such an expose. Gandhi also pressed for the release of all electronic voter data and polling booth videography from the past decade, arguing that any refusal would be “proof” of a cover-up in aid of the BJP.
It is also alleged that both Limbavali and former KR Pura MLA Nandish Reddy have used private agencies to court the migrant vote. In 2018, Reddy hired a private group to collect voter details, later defending the move as necessary to identify and remove duplicates.
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t…Read More
Rohini Swamy, Associate Editor at News18, has been a journalist for nearly two decades in the television and digital space. She covers south India for News18’s digital platform. She has previously worked with t… Read More
view comments
Read More
