CM Siddaramaiah accuses ECI of 'colluding' with ruling party, 'threatening' Opposition
Bengaluru, Aug 18 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of "colluding" with the ruling party and said instead of addressing the "vote theft" claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, it tried to threaten the Opposition.
The ECI’s credibility will remain in doubt until it honestly fulfilled its duty of safeguarding every citizen’s vote, he said.
"The Election Commission of India (ECI) finally spoke - not out of duty, but because the Congress, the INDIA Alliance, the civil society, and even the Supreme Court forced it to. And when it did, the mask slipped. Instead of behaving like an impartial referee, the @ECISVEEP looked like it was reading straight from the BJP’s script. Yesterday’s press conference didn’t answer questions raised by LoP @RahulGandhi - it only confirmed suspicions," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
During a press conference in Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gynaesh Kumar had said the electoral roll revision is aimed at removing all shortcomings in voter lists and it is a matter of grave concern that some parties are spreading misinformation about it and “firing from the EC's shoulder”.
The CEC rejected as "baseless" the allegations of "vote theft" and asserted that all stakeholders are working to make SIR a success in a transparent manner.
The chief minister described the ECI’s press conference as "shrouded in arrogance" and said the poll panel acted as though it was doing a favour by speaking directly, instead of hiding behind nameless, faceless “sources”.
"But what the country saw was not accountability, but an attempt to intimidate and deflect. Rahul Gandhi had shown serious mismatches in Bengaluru Central, using the ECI’s own data. From that one example, it is obvious that such anomalies exist in many other constituencies too. Instead of answering, the ECI tried to threaten the opposition," he alleged.
The CM pointed out that the Chief Election Commissioner asked for affidavits and oaths, as if its own numbers need certification before they can be trusted.
"This is absurd. A responsible Commission would have taken the mismatch seriously, verified it, and explained it to the public. By refusing to do so, it has only strengthened the suspicion that it is working hand in glove with the ruling party. And when it claimed to be impartial towards both ruling and opposition parties, it sounded less like truth and more like a bad joke," he said.
Siddaramaiah termed ECI’s dismissal of concerns about "fake" and duplicate voters as "shocking".
"It brushed them aside saying no one raised objections during the 45-day claims window, so the matter is closed. This is nothing but an excuse to escape responsibility. The truth is, it took time for @INCIndia to expose these irregularities because the ECI itself made the data inaccessible. We had to dig through thousands of pages in just one assembly segment of Bengaluru Central to uncover the mismatches. If this is the situation in one seat, imagine the scale across the country," he added.
Siddaramaiah wondered if the ECI would simply ignore the irregularities that would come to light after elections.
"Its constitutional duty is to protect the integrity of every single vote, not to shut its eyes when the problem becomes visible later," he remarked.
He alleged that the excuses given on machine-readable electoral rolls and CCTV footage were even weaker.
"The ECI said searchable rolls could harm privacy. But electoral rolls are already public records. Political parties are not outsiders - they are part of the democratic process. Denying them full, verifiable data will not help in protecting privacy; it will only hide errors and fraud," he said.
Slamming the ECI, the chief minister termed the so-called privacy excuse on CCTV footage as "laughable".
According to him, CCTV in polling booths exists to ensure transparency, not secrecy. To destroy that record after just 45 days is not protecting voters, it is protecting wrongdoing. And the biggest questions were not answered at all.
"Why was the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) rushed in Bihar just months before elections and during floods? Why did Maharashtra suddenly record a surge of 70 lakh voters between 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections?" he asked.
"Why did the poll panel oppose Supreme Court directions that would have made the system more transparent and voter-friendly? Why has it not taken action on the evidence given by Rahul Gandhi? On every important issue, the ECI chose silence," he alleged.
Siddaramaiah reminded that democracy depended on trust.
"That trust is broken when the Election Commission dodges questions, intimidates the opposition, and shields those in power. The people of India can see this clearly. No press conference or grand speech will cover up the truth. The ECI’s job is to safeguard every citizen’s vote - until it does that honestly, its credibility will remain in doubt," he added.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) finally spoke - not out of duty, but because the Congress, the INDIA Alliance, the civil society, and even the Supreme Court forced it to. And when it did, the mask slipped.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) August 18, 2025
Instead of behaving like an impartial referee, the @ECISVEEP… pic.twitter.com/oMZvlzpTS7
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Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.
On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”
She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.
Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”
“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.
Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.
One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.
“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.
In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.
The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.
