BJP Leader Alleges KSWAN Tender Irregularities, Seeks ED Investigation

Karnataka BJP leader and former BBMP ruling party leader NR Ramesh has accused officials of irregularities in the Rs 444-crore Karnataka State Wide Area Network (KSWAN) 3.0 tender and asked the Enforcement Directorate to investigate.

In a complaint to the ED on September 28, he named former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son and Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah and senior IAS officer and e-Governance CEO Bhoobalan, linking them to what he described as a major financial irregularity in the KSWAN-3.0 project.

Ramesh said the bid terms were framed to suit CISCO, which later won the contract. He also accused Bhoobalan of steering the process and ignoring objections from other organisations.

The KSWAN 3.0 project will build on KSWAN 2.0 and widen the network across Karnataka government offices. It aims to tighten security, improve communication and speed up administration with newer, more dependable digital systems.

Ramesh alleged that the tender was first floated in July 2025, but the exercise was later cancelled even though two companies had participated. A fresh tender worth Rs 444 crore was issued in December 2025.

Ramesh said CISCO tied up with RailTel for the project and later struck a deal with Hyderabad-based Allvy Software Solutions Pvt Ltd to meet technical needs. He questioned whether the consortium fit the tender and alleged the process was built to help a bidder already chosen.

Ramesh alleged that Telecommunications Consultants India Ltd (TCIL) sought to participate in the software maintenance component, but could not complete bidding because documents it needed from CISCO were allegedly withheld until the final day.

"Although TCIL submitted written complaints against CISCO to the DPAR Department and to the CEO of the e-Governance Division, no action whatsoever was taken against CISCO," Ramesh alleged in his complaint.

He further alleged that the e-Governance Division imposed conditions that effectively restricted participation and favoured CISCO. Ramesh said several representations were ignored and that the work order had already been issued to the selected organisation.

The complaint also raises questions over the exclusion of bandwidth services from the Rs 444-crore tender. Ramesh alleged that the bandwidth component could later be awarded separately to another organisation for an amount running into hundreds of crores.

Ramesh also alleged that the then chief minister formally led the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) during 2023-26, but Yathindra Siddaramaiah was "unofficially managing all the activities" of the department. He added that Bhoobalan served as Yathindra's "close associate".

Ramesh asked the ED to look into the case under laws on money laundering, corruption, cheating and misuse of power. The complaint has not been independently verified. It seeks a probe into the tender process and the roles of the people Ramesh named.