Rahul Gandhi Alleges ‘Massive Electoral Fraud’ in Karnataka; CEO Seeks Formal Proof Under Oath
In a sharp escalation of political tensions, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday levelled explosive allegations of a “huge criminal fraud” in the Karnataka elections, directly accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Gandhi cited findings from what he described as a Congress-led research probe into the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency — a key segment within the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat.
According to Gandhi, the alleged irregularities amounted to nothing less than “vote chori” (vote theft), involving more than 1 lakh votes out of the total 6.5 lakh votes in Mahadevapura during last year’s elections.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations
Gandhi claimed that Congress research teams had identified over 1,00,250 suspicious entries in the voter rolls of Mahadevapura, including:
- Duplicate voters are listed multiple times
- Voters registered with invalid or false addresses
- Bulk enrolments under questionable circumstances
- Misuse of Form 6 — the application form for new voter registrations
He alleged that these practices had artificially boosted the BJP’s vote count in Mahadevapura, creating what he called a “huge imbalance” in the overall result of Bangalore Central.
Bangalore Central saw 13 lakh total votes cast in the last Lok Sabha elections, where BJP’s P. C. Mohan defeated Congress candidate Mansoor Ali Khan by a margin of 32,707 votes. Gandhi claimed that if the 1 lakh “stolen” votes in Mahadevapura were removed from the equation, the election outcome could have been dramatically different.
CEO of Karnataka Responds Swiftly
Barely minutes after Gandhi’s public accusations, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka, V. Anbu Kumar, issued a formal letter to the Congress leader, asking him to provide specific evidence to support his claims.
The letter stated: It is understood that during a press conference held today, you mentioned the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the electoral rolls… You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed declaration/oath… along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated.”
Kumar reminded Gandhi that electoral rolls are prepared transparently, and copies had already been shared with Congress representatives. He also noted that under the law, election results can only be challenged by filing an election petition before the High Court.
Legal Implications of the Oath
The declaration or oath sent to Gandhi by the CEO comes with serious legal weight. Any false statement made in such a declaration is a punishable offence under:
- Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act (making false declarations)
- Section 227 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (giving false evidence)
These provisions carry potential criminal penalties, meaning Gandhi’s claims will need to be backed with verifiable documentation and names of specific voters alleged to be illegally listed or excluded.
Congress Delegation Meeting Scheduled
The letter also confirmed that a Congress delegation had sought an appointment with the Karnataka CEO to submit a detailed memorandum regarding the alleged irregularities. The CEO has granted them a time slot between 1 pm and 3 pm on Friday for this meeting.
With tensions already running high in the politically crucial state, this development has set the stage for a high-stakes battle over electoral integrity, pitting one of India’s most prominent opposition leaders directly against the country’s election machinery.
Whether this confrontation leads to a major legal fight, a fresh wave of political campaigning, or official investigations into the Mahadevapura voter rolls remains to be seen.
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