Karnataka CEO ordered probe into Rahul Gandhi's election fraud charges: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Aug 8 (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the state Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar has ordered an investigation into Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of election fraud.
CEO Anbukumar asked Shivakumar to submit documents to support his claims with a declaration or oath as per the rule.
Speaking to reporters after a Congress delegation led by him submitted a memorandum to Anbukumar, Shivakumar said he was informed that they (CEO’s office) have started their investigation. "I am glad to know this."
Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, said he would visit the CEO’s office again to obtain the documents and evidence.
“In the first phase, we have asked him to provide information to go into the details of every assembly segment, where such incidents have occurred,” the Deputy CM said.
Asked about the BJP’s counter-allegations, Shivakumar said he was not worried about the saffron party.
"Let them (BJP leaders) say whatever they want. We are asking a court, a judge, a commission with autonomous power. We have requested them (Election Commission) to take action because it is the Election Commission’s responsibility to prepare the electoral roll, hold elections and immediately set right things.”
Shivakumar submitted a memorandum to CEO Anbukumar after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged large scale election fraud in Mahadevapura constituency during the Lok Sabha election.
Regarding former Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali’s statement that there were bogus voters in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assembly constituency Varuna and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s constituency Chamarajpet in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the ECI should investigate it.
“Even if there are such issues in my constituency (Kanakapura) I will not mind. Action has to be taken against those who engaged in fraud and are guilty of misuse,” the DCM said.
In a letter to Shivakumar, the CEO said, “With respect to your representation dated 05.08.2025 submitted on 08.08.2025, you have not submitted any documents in support of the references made in the representation.”
“You are hereby kindly requested to submit the documents related to your complaint along with the Declaration/Oath as per Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, so as to act upon the complaint,” the official added.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
