BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has once again exposed the dark face of systematic electoral malpractice in India’s electoral system.
Siddaramaiah said Gandhi had earlier revealed large-scale voter fraud in Mahadevapura and Aland Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, and he has now presented documented evidence showing how the entire election result in Haryana was manipulated.
“Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who had been evading questions, denying allegations, and even absurdly demanding that the accusers take an oath, must, at least this time, refrain from attempting to protect his “masters”. He should admit the truth and atone for his misdeeds through the legal process,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah said the records presented by the Congress leader demonstrate how the Election Commission colluded with the Union Government to strangle the very democratic system it is meant to safeguard.
“In the Maharashtra and Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP and the Election Commission had created fake voters using Indian citizens’ identities. But in Haryana, they went a step further, even using the identity of a Brazilian model for their voter fraud, a testament to their shamelessness. This time, India’s democratic reputation is certain to suffer humiliation at the international level,” Siddaramaiah said.The CM alleged that over 25 lakh fraudulent votes were cast in the Haryana Assembly polls.
Other Congress leaders, too, joined the CM in castigating the Election Commission.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the ECI has been a mute witness to the electoral fraud as alleged by Rahul Gandhi.
Minister Priyank Kharge said Gandhi has been consistently raising these issues with evidence but the EC is seen hiding behind the ruling party spokespersons. “This shows that the EC is not independent,” he added.