Congress leaders held their 'Vote adhikar rally' at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Friday, where Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that "one in every six votes" was stolen in the city's Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The rally, titled "Our Vote, Our Right, Our Struggle," was led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. It follows Gandhi's press conference a day earlier where he accused the Election Commission of India of being the "Election Capture of India."
Rahul Gandhi's Allegations
Addressing the crowd at Freedom Park, Rahul Gandhi began by stating the protest was an attempt to save the Constitution and its foundation of "one man, one vote." He claimed that his party's internal survey had predicted 15-16 seats for them in Karnataka, but they won only nine.
"We began studying the results of Bangalore Central LS seat, and specifically Mahadevapura segment," Gandhi said. "We have proven that the EC and the BJP have together cheated Karnataka in LS polls."quoted Hindu.
He claimed that out of 6.5 lakh votes in the Mahadevapura constituency, 100,250 were "stolen." He listed five alleged methods of this "vote theft". He claimed that out of 6.5 lakh votes in the Mahadevapura constituency, 100,250 were "stolen."
He detailed the alleged methods of this "vote theft," claiming it included 12,000 duplicate voters and 40,000 voters with fake or invalid addresses. He further alleged the existence of 10,400 bulk voters registered at the same address, 4,000 voters with invalid photos, and the misuse of Form 6 to add 33,600 ineligible voters.
Gandhi also drew parallels with the Maharashtra assembly elections, which took place after the Lok Sabha polls. He claimed that while the INDIA bloc performed well in the national election there, the BJP won the subsequent state election because one crore new voters were added to the lists, who he alleged voted for the BJP.
Demands on the Election Commission
Gandhi directed a series of demands at the Election Commission, which he said owes its allegiance to the Constitution, not the BJP.
"Our demand is that the EC give us the country’s voter list in electronic form as well as the videographic records," he stated. "We will use that to prove the vote theft, not just in one seat in Karnataka but across India." quotes Hindu.
He asserted that the data uncovered in Karnataka is "proof of a crime" and that if the EC refuses to provide the information, it means they are "hiding a crime and aiding the BJP in election theft."
Concluding his speech, Gandhi issued a strong warning, stating, "If we can get the data from EC, we will prove that Modi became the PM through vote theft... If you think you can get away with assaulting the Constitution, think again. It may take time, but we will catch you."
He detailed the alleged methods of this "vote theft," claiming it included 12,000 duplicate voters and 40,000 voters with fake or invalid addresses.
He further alleged the existence of 10,400 bulk voters registered at the same address, 4,000 voters with invalid photos, and the misuse of Form 6 to add 33,600 ineligible voters.
Gandhi also drew parallels with the Maharashtra assembly elections, which took place after the Lok Sabha polls.
He claimed that while the INDIA bloc performed well in the national election there, the BJP won the subsequent state election because one crore new voters were added to the lists, who he alleged voted for the BJP.
Demands on the Election Commission
Gandhi directed a series of demands at the Election Commission, which he said owes its allegiance to the Constitution, not the BJP.
"Our demand is that the EC give us the country’s voter list in electronic form as well as the videographic records," he stated. "We will use that to prove the vote theft, not just in one seat in Karnataka but across India." quotes Hindu.
He asserted that the data uncovered in Karnataka is "proof of a crime" and that if the EC refuses to provide the information, it means they are "hiding a crime and aiding the BJP in election theft."
Concluding his speech, Gandhi issued a strong warning, stating, "If we can get the data from EC, we will prove that Modi became the PM through vote theft... If you think you can get away with assaulting the Constitution, think again. It may take time, but we will catch you."
Kharge Calls for Protecting the Electoral Process
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also addressed the rally, emphasizing the need to safeguard the integrity of elections. "I have won 12 elections in my life, but I have lost only one in 2019. I had said then that there had been bogus voting, to target the Congress and defeat us," Kharge stated.
He added, "Elections come and go, but it’s our duty to protect the electoral process." Kharge declared that the Prime Minister does not have the people's support and that the movement was about teaching the ruling party a lesson., reported Hindu
He announced that the protest would be taken to the national capital, stating, "On Monday, all MPs will march to the Central Election Commission in Delhi and submit a memorandum."
Siddaramaiah Demands PM Modi's Resignation
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called for the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting he has “no moral right to continue in his post.” Citing the ‘vote fraud’ exposé by Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah alleged that the Prime Minister “has stolen seats to remain in power.”
Shivakumar Proposes 'Legal Banks' To Safeguard Voter Rights
Speaking at the protest, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar proposed the creation of 'legal banks' to protect the rights of voters at the booth level. He attributed the idea to Rahul Gandhi and committed to establishing them, drawing a comparison to blood banks. "I assure the party that we will work towards setting up such banks on the lines of blood banks," qouted Hindu.
