Siddaramaiah backs Rahul Gandhi’s claims of nationwide 'voter fraud', demands PM Modi’s resignation
Bengaluru, Aug 7 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had exposed, with evidence, widespread voter fraud during the recent Lok Sabha elections and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation.
In a post on 'X', Siddaramaiah said the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has exposed with hard evidence how widespread vote theft took place across India in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Despite massive public anger, Modi returned to power only through electoral fraud. The documents released by Rahul Gandhi today stand as clear proof, he added.
“Narendra Modi became Prime Minister by misusing the Election Commission, stealing votes, and abusing power. He has no moral right to stay in office. He must resign and dissolve the government immediately,” Siddaramaiah demanded.
He vowed that the Congress would raise its voice across the country and expose the BJP’s crimes to every citizen.
Giving an example from Karnataka, Siddaramaiah said a six-month investigation was conducted into voter records in Mahadevapura Assembly segment, which falls under the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency.
“Under the guidance of Shri Rahul Gandhi, a detailed six-month investigation was conducted into the voter records of Mahadevapura Assembly segment, which falls under the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency. The probe uncovered precise evidence of systematic vote theft,” he said.
“In the 2024 Lok Sabha Election, the BJP misused the Election Commission and illegally secured 1,00,250 votes in Mahadevapura — a constituency with just around 3.25 lakh voters — to win the seat,” Siddaramaiah said. He said five methods of electoral malpractice were identified in just this one segment.
“A total of 11,965 fake voters are estimated to have cast votes in this constituency. Some individuals voted in multiple polling booths, while others voted not only here but also in other parts of the state and even outside Karnataka. This points to a systematic and deliberate misuse of the electoral process,” Siddaramaiah charged.
He added that 40,009 voters were found with fake addresses.
The Chief Minister said, “Thousands of them are registered under non-existent addresses, including many with ‘House Number 0’, random gibberish entered in place of father’s or husband’s names, and addresses that simply do not exist.”
According to him, 10,452 voters were registered under a handful of addresses.
“In one instance, 80 voter ID cards were issued using the address of a single-bedroom house. In another case, 68 voter IDs listed the address of a private club. Upon verification, it was confirmed that none of the listed voters actually reside there.”
Siddaramaiah said 4,132 voter ID cards in the constituency had missing or unclear photographs, yet those individuals were allowed to vote.
He also pointed out that “33,692 voters aged between 60 and 90 years were found to have been registered as first-time voters through Form 6. The BJP often claims that new voters support Narendra Modi, but the reality is startling — even individuals aged 89 and 98 have allegedly voted for the first time.”
Siddaramaiah said that had the Election Commission acted impartially and provided the electronic data and CCTV footage that Rahul Gandhi requested, this scam could have been exposed within days of the election.
“Instead, the Commission deliberately altered its own rules to suppress information and cover up the truth. This is not a scam limited to Mahadevapura alone — it is now clear that the BJP has used similar vote theft tactics across the country to cling to power,” he said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
