Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 8 : Amid Leader of Opposition Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's claim of voter list manipulation in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka Opposition Leader R Ashoka countered the Congress leader and said that when Congress was in power at the Centre, bogus voting was common.
Speaking at a press conference, he said, "In Padmanabhanagar, I got 57,000 votes, but 20,000 more should have come. 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."
"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?"
He stated that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the BJP leaders play a role in preparing the voter list; instead, officials handle this task. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi's allegations are like a dud firecracker.
He further stated that when D K Shivakumar himself had the voter list, complaints about irregularities should have been raised then.
"Neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor the BJP leaders have any role in this. Panchayat secretaries, postal workers, tax collectors, 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.
"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 Nagavara ward of 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.
R Ashoka said that after the 2023 Assembly elections, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections took place. In just one year, some new voters were added.
He said that 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.
Gandhi earlier said that 1,00,250 "fake votes" were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka to ensure a win for the BJP.
Taking the reporters through a detailed presentation of the 'fraud' at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, the LoP alleged that "collusion" had happened between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, which resulted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi securing his third term.
He alleged that the elections are "choreographed".
Presenting Congress' research on voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly in Karnataka, Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) of 1,00,250 votes.
Addressing a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that Congress won other seats while the BJP swept Mahadevapura.