Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 8 : Leader of the Opposition of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and BJP leader R Ashoka criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his vote manipulation allegation in Karnataka.
The BJP MLA stated that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor any BJP leaders play a role in preparing the voter list, which is the responsibility of officials.
Speaking at a press conference, he said, "Rahul Gandhi hasn't dropped a bomb; it's just a dud firecracker. In the recent Lok Sabha elections in the state, Congress appointed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for every booth. The initial voter list is provided to the BLA, which KPCC President DK Shivakumar appoints. The BLA handles tasks like removing the names of deceased voters and adding new ones. Hasn't Congress, which appointed these BLAs, done anything wrong?"
"We should have raised complaints about irregularities when DK Shivakumar himself possessed the voter list." Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the BJP leaders have any role in this. Panchayat secretaries, postal workers, tax collectors, and health workers--all these people are involved in preparing the voter list. Are they all BJP members? How could the BJP add names irregularly to the voter list?" he asked.
He further claimed that Congress leaders have been arrested for fraudulent voting practices in some states.
"In some states, Congress leaders have been arrested for fraudulent voting practices. In Bengaluru's Gandhinagar, there are 18 Muslim voters in a single small house. How is it possible for so many voters to be in one house? In the Nagavara ward of the Sarvagnanagar constituency, the Congress MP received 5,965 more votes than their MLA. How did Congress get so many extra votes? In HBR Layout, the MP got 3,646 more votes than the MLA, and in Kadugondanahalli, 3,432 extra votes were recorded. Who added all these votes? As soon as they lose, they claim the Election Commission is at fault," he said.
"After the 2023 Assembly elections, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections took place. In just one year, some new voters were added. In Padmanabhanagar, I received 57,000 votes, but I expected 20,000 more. However, Muslims were brought from elsewhere and added here. The revenue department conducts all elections. When everyone is from the Congress government, how can irregularities happen? In the past, when Congress was in power everywhere, bogus voting was common. They used to carry away ballot boxes. Dacoits like Phoolan Devi ran the show. Rahul Gandhi seems to want that kind of election now," he remarked.
"Indira Gandhi was disqualified for electoral malpractice but still won. That hasn't happened with Narendra Modi. The Gandhi family's history is full of irregularities. They've all won elections through malpractice," he added.