BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said everything the Special Investigating Team (SIT) has said in its 22,000 page chargesheet in the Aland assembly constituency “vote theft” case, filed before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court on Friday, was full of facts and truths.
“We are taking up the matter. Our MLAs also want to raise this issue in the Assembly on Tuesday,” Shivkumar said. The chargesheet has been reportedly filed against seven persons including a former four-time MLA Subhash Guttedar and his son Harshanand Guttedar. The chargesheet also explains detailed modus operandi of the accused. The Karnataka government on September 20, 2025, formed an SIT after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that a significant number of voters were removed in the Aland segment during the 2023 elections. The case relates to alleged attempts to delete 5,994 names from the voters’ list ahead of the elections.
Current Aland MLA BR Patil had lodged a police complaint in this regard.
Those named in the charge sheet are Subhash Guttedar; his son Harshanand Guttedar; their close aide Tipperudra; datacentre operators Akram Pasha, his brother Aslam Pasha and their relative Mohammed Ashfaq Ahmed and one Bapi Adya from West Bengal. Bapi was the first to be arrested and was later released on bail. A special court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to the Guttedars and Tipperudra.
Shivakumar said a statewide campaign against alleged “vote theft” started at Freedom Park in the city. “A protest rally against ‘vote theft’ would be held on Sunday at Ram Leela Maidan in Delhi, with thousands of participants expected to attend. Congress leaders from across Karnataka and more than 100 legislators are set to take part. We are confident of spreading awareness among the people. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has organised the protest, while AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge is leading the campaign,” he said.