Indelible ink issue in BMC polls another 'troubling chapter' of 'Vote Chori': CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday flagged media reports claiming that indelible ink used to mark voters during the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls could be wiped off easily, calling it another "troubling chapter" in what he described as 'Vote Chori' (vote theft).
Stressing that democracy survives only when every vote is sacred, Siddaramaiah said the credibility of its eletoral safeguards should not be compromised.
Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were held after nine years on Thursday.
The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena were ahead in the high-stakes BMC polls as per early trends, as the counting of votes for 227 wards are underway on Friday.
In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said, "Today, media reports and viral social media videos from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls show so-called indelible ink being wiped off easily with sanitiser, acetone and other agents, raising grave concerns about electoral credibility - concerns echoed across Maharashtra and beyond."
He further said, "this is not an isolated glitch -- it’s another troubling chapter in the larger story of 'Vote Chori', where genuine questions are met with denial, deflection, or silence, and trust in democratic institutions is eroded."
"Weakening basic safeguards and dismissing citizens' concerns doesn’t protect democracy - it damages it. The Election Commission must act with transparency, accountability and corrective measures now," he added.
The Congress has been campaigning nationwide against alleged ‘vote chori’, led by top party leader Rahul Gandhi, targeting the BJP-led government at the Centre and the Election Commission of India.
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Bidar man dies after banned Chinese manja slits throat while riding motorcycle
Bidar: A 48-year-old man was killed after a glass-coated Chinese manja slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle in Karnataka’s Bidar district, police said on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Sanjukumar Gundappa Hosamani, a resident of Bambulgi village in Bidar taluk. The incident occurred on January 14 near the bridge at Talamadagi village in the Chitguppa area.
Police said Hosamani was travelling to Humnabad to bring his daughter home from her hostel for the Sankranti holidays when the accident took place. As he passed through the stretch, a banned nylon kite string coated with glass, reportedly stretched across the road, became entangled around his neck, causing a deep and fatal cut. He collapsed on the road and bled heavily, dying at the spot.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed Hosamani lying injured on the road in a pool of blood, reportedly attempting to make a phone call to his daughter moments before his death. His body was later shifted to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination and was handed over to the family after the procedure.
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A case has been registered at the Mannaekhelli police station under Section 106(1) for causing death by negligence and Section 281 for rash or negligent riding. Police said further investigation is underway.
The incident led to protests by local residents and relatives of the deceased, who demanded strict action against the sale and use of Chinese manja. Protesters alleged that although an ambulance was called immediately, it arrived late, and the delay led to excessive blood loss, contributing to Hosamani’s death.
Bidar Superintendent of Police Pradeep Gunti said the use of Chinese manja is banned and that special checking drives had been conducted ahead of the festival. He said continuous patrolling was being carried out even after the incident and cases were being registered against those found selling the prohibited kite strings. In response to public anger, gram panchayat authorities issued announcements in the area, warning residents against using nylon and glass-coated kite strings.
