BENGALURU: Ahead of the Congress’s protest demonstration in Bengaluru on August 5 against the alleged electoral manipulations, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has credible evidence of voter fraud in the Assembly constituencies of Mahadevapura and Rajajinagar during the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, the CM said to highlight this serious issue, Rahul Gandhi will lead a protest in Bengaluru on August 5 and meet with the State Chief Electoral Officer.
Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress president DK Shivakumar said that the protest against vote theft would be held under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi at Freedom Park on August 5. The CM, DyCM, and senior Congress leaders, including AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, held a meeting at the KPCC office and also visited Freedom Park on Thursday.
Speaking to the media at Freedom Park, the DyCM said they need to protect the Constitution and the voters’ rights, and the struggle for that would get more strength if it starts from Karnataka. The party leaders will talk about irregularities during the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state, he said. The protest will be held in accordance with the guidelines issued by the state government and court directions, he said. “We had filed objections, but the Election Commission did not accept them. Mahadevapura candidate Nagesh’s son showed the documents. The same happened in Dinesh Gundu Rao’s Gandhi Nagar assembly constituency. Nearly 7,000 voters were added in one ward,” he said, responding to a question why they had not filed objections when the draft voter list was published.
Shivakumar said there is no padayatra, and they are only holding a protest at the Freedom Park. “We will decide the mode of travel to the Election Commission from Freedom Park based on the suggestions of the police,” he said.