Siddaramaiah slams EC for colluding with Centre to 'strangle' democratic system
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP-led union government to "strangle" the very democratic system it is meant to safeguard, citing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations about 25 lakh fake entries in the Haryana poll list.
The CM also called on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to refrain from attempting to protect his "masters" and admit the truth.
The Haryana assembly polls last year were "stolen", Gandhi alleged on Wednesday, citing electoral list data to claim that 25 lakh entries were fake and the Election Commission colluded with the BJP to make the party win.
"Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has once again exposed the dark face of systematic electoral malpractice in India's election system," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
Having earlier revealed large-scale voter fraud in Mahadevapura and Aland Assembly constituencies of Karnataka, Gandhi has now presented documented evidence showing how the entire election result in Haryana was manipulated, he said.
"These records demonstrate how the Election Commission, which is supposed to protect democracy through transparent and impartial elections, has instead colluded with the Union Government to strangle the very democratic system it is meant to safeguard," he added.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi addressed a press conference in New Delhi, during which he put up a presentation to back his claims.
Alleging that the elaborate plan included a Brazilian model whose photograph was used 22 times in 10 booths in Haryana's Rai assembly constituency during the 2024 assembly elections, the former Congress chief said, that the poll panel launched 'Operation Sarkar Chori' to convert the landslide victory of his party into a loss in the state.
Noting that in the Maharashtra and Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP and the Election Commission had created fake voters using Indian citizens' identities, Siddaramaiah said in Haryana, they went a step further - even using the identity of a Brazilian model for their voter fraud - a testament to their shamelessness.
"This time, India's democratic reputation is certain to suffer humiliation at the international level," he said.
Over five lakh fake voters were created, and more than one lakh votes were stolen using tampered or unidentifiable photographs. "In total, over 25 lakh fraudulent votes were cast in the Haryana Assembly elections - meaning that one out of every eight votes polled was fake," he said.
Pointing out that almost every pre-election survey had predicted a defeat for the BJP in Haryana and the people were determined to oust the BJP government, the CM said Gandhi has now provided a clear explanation of how the BJP still managed to secure a majority and form the government.
"Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar - who had been evading questions, denying allegations, and even absurdly demanding that the accusers take an oath - must, at least this time, refrain from attempting to protect his masters. He should admit the truth and atone for his misdeeds through the legal process," he added.
In September, Gandhi had accused CEC Kumar of protecting those who "destroyed democracy" and cited data from the Aland assembly constituency in Karnataka to claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.
In August, citing data from the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he claimed that over one lakh votes were "stolen" through manipulation in Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shri @RahulGandhi, has once again exposed the dark face of systematic electoral malpractice in India’s election system.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) November 5, 2025
Having earlier revealed large-scale voter fraud in Mahadevapura and Aland Assembly constituencies of Karnataka, he… pic.twitter.com/qwKZ8jzCAY
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Sangh Parivar still afraid of Mahatma Gandhi: Kerala CM
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 78th death anniversary and claimed that the Sangh Parivar was still afraid of him and his memory and that is why his name was removed from the rural employment guarantee scheme.
Vijayan, in a Facebook post, said that Gandhi was killed because of his uncompromising stance on secularism and his vision of a pluralistic India that embraces diversity and disagreement.
He claimed that the Sangh Parivar was afraid of the memory of the Father of the Nation and hence his name was removed from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
"Why are they still afraid of Gandhiji? The answer is simple. Gandhiji's life and vision are the exact opposite of the politics of hatred and alienation envisioned by the Sangh Parivar," the CM contended.
He further claimed that the Sangh Parivar was trying to remove Gandhi from the lives of the ordinary people.
Vijayan said that unity in diversity was "the foundation stone of the Indian Republic" and everyone should be committed to protecting it from the "totalitarian tendencies that suppress dissent".
He claimed that there were certain forces which were trying to "rewrite history and elevate communal murderers as heroes" in order to lead the country towards totalitarianism.
The Marxist veteran said that Gandhi was "not assassinated by a man named Godse, but by an embodiment of the politics of hatred promoted by the Sangh Parivar" which is still trying to attack and destroy the Constitution and the democratic values of the country.
He said that Gandhi's martyrdom was a constant call for the anti-communal struggle.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan too claimed that the Sangh Parivar was afraid of Gandhi.
In his message on Facebook paying tribute to the Father of the Nation, Satheesan said that Sangh Parivar was even afraid of the memories of Gandhi and that is why they were "erasing books and writings" to hide things from people.
He too said that the assassin of Gandhi was not just a man, but an ideology.
Satheesan said that even though the Sangh Parivar shot him down, Gandhi still lives on after his death.
Gandhi, the most prominent face of India's freedom movement, was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on this day in 1948.
