KALABURAGI: Former BJP MLA from Aland Subhash Guttedar has claimed that the alleged voter records, which were found burnt outside his house, were burnt by his workers to clean up waste for Deepavali.
“Also, I was not home at that time when the documents were burnt. It is normal to clean the house during Diwali. Our family members and maids burnt household waste, and since I am a former MLA, it is quite natural for voter lists to be present in my house,” he said.
Addressing reporters on Saturday, he accused sitting MLA BR Patil of making false allegations of vote rigging in Aland Assembly constituency. “If there had really been vote rigging, I would have won the 2023 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is not considering BR Patil for a ministerial position. Hence, he has conspired to create a false narrative of vote rigging through Rahul Gandhi in order to become a minister,” Guttedar said.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting a raid on the residence of Guttedar in connection with the Aland constituency case. The action follows an incident in which a bundle of documents was reportedly set on fire in Aland town and allegedly thrown into a river.
The police have seized a goods vehicle allegedly used in the incident, while its driver, identified as Vishal, is on the run. The owner of the vehicle has been summoned by Aland police for questioning on charges of destroying evidence.
It may be noted that the SIT has been conducting raids on the premises of Guttedar and his associates in connection with the alleged voter list tampering case in Aland.
Separate teams have already searched the residence of Guttedar in Gubbi Colony and in the house of his associate Mallikarjun Mahantagol in Vivekananda Nagar.
More than 80 officials and staff, including over 50 policemen, were reportedly involved in the raid. Sources said SIT officials have been camping in Kalaburagi and have so far raided five locations and are scrutinising documents linked to the case.