Karnataka Minister Patil seeks EC probe into 'vote chori' allegations in Aland
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Friday said the Election Commission of India should take responsibility and order an inquiry into the alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) after a SIT found that attempts were made to delete over 6,000 votes en masse in the Aland Assembly segment ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
Patil, who holds the industries and infrastructure portfolio, said everything that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had been saying all along has now come true.
"Now the truth has come out. This is what Rahul Gandhi has been saying all along—how the BJP came to power, its sins and illegalities. The Election Commission of India had been demanding proof. Now we have it," Patil told reporters here.
Citing reports, he said Rs 75 to Rs 80 was paid per deleted voter name in the Aland Assembly constituency in the state.
"We are talking only about Aland. This can be done across India. The EC should take responsibility and inquire into it. The BJP should answer now," he said.
The minister accused the BJP and the EC of dismissing earlier warnings. "Rahul is the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. He is like a shadow PM. You were asking him to file an affidavit instead of investigating. Now it is proved. Let us see what the EC and the BJP have to say on this," Patil added.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged voter data manipulation in Aland found that attempts were made to delete thousands of names from the rolls and identified at least six suspects involved.
Sources in the Criminal Investigation Department said the suspects were paid Rs 80 for every successfully deleted name. Requests were made to remove 6,994 names, most of which were found to be bogus.
Aland, located in Kalaburagi district—home turf of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge—is represented by senior Congress MLA B R Patil.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi cited the Aland case at a press conference in New Delhi while alleging large-scale voter data manipulation across the country.
BR Patil has said he would have lost the election had the names been deleted. He won the 2023 Assembly polls from Aland by a margin of about 10,000 votes against the BJP's Subhash Guttedar.
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Dr. Thumbay Moideen featured in Entrepreneur Middle East 100 NRI’s of the year
Dubai: Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder of Thumbay Group has been featured in this year's “The 100 NRIs by Entrepreneur Middle East.”
The annual feature recognises 100 prominent Non-Resident Indian entrepreneurs from diverse fields. Other notable names on the list include Zakariya Jokatte, Ashish Koshy, Deepak Babani, Pankaj Kundr, Faizal E. Kottikollon, Dr. Vivek Oberoi, and Prashant Goenka.
Dr. Thumbay Moideen, son of the late community leader B. Ahmed Haji Mohiudeen, is a prominent alumnus of St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru. He has earned widespread recognition in the UAE and beyond for his contributions to higher education and healthcare. He is also a recipient of the Karnataka State Rajyotsava Award 2025.
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In 1997, Dr. Moideen founded the Thumbay Group, a diversified international conglomerate that has expanded into health education, healthcare services, and medical research. In 1998, he became the first Indian invited by the rulers of Ajman to establish a medical college in the UAE, which has now grown into a university with its own network of hospitals, clinics, medical centers, and pharmacies across the country.
Dr. Moideen’s achievements have been recognised in respected publications, including Forbes Middle East and Arabian Business. He has also received an Honorary Fellowship from the International Medical Sciences Academy (IMSA) and an honorary doctorate from Amity University.
Today, Thumbay Group institutions cater to students and healthcare professionals from over 100 nationalities, contributing to workforce development and research-driven healthcare practices. Dr. Moideen is widely regarded as one of the most influential Non-Resident Indians in the Gulf, a respected voice from the Beary community, and a leading Muslim entrepreneur and educationist.
Over the past decades, he has steered Thumbay Group’s expansion into a multi-sector organisation focusing on academic medicine, research-led healthcare, and global education. His initiatives have created opportunities for thousands of healthcare professionals and students while strengthening healthcare delivery systems and academic collaboration across regions.
