The Congress party, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, will hold a major protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday against alleged irregularities in the voter list.
Security has been tightened around the venue, with Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons, water cannons, and a mobile command and control unit deployed to maintain order.
Rahul Gandhi, doubling down on his “vote theft” charge earlier in the day, declared that those behind the alleged scam would face justice. “Vote theft is not just an electoral scam, it is a major betrayal of the Constitution and democracy. Let the culprits hear this — times will change, and punishment will come,” he posted on X.
On Thursday, Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency to secure a BJP victory. Presenting what he called “criminal evidence” at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, he accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi retain power with a narrow margin of 25 seats.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah backed Gandhi’s claims, saying the 2024 general elections were manipulated to keep the BJP in power. He cited alleged voter roll surges in Maharashtra and silent deletions in Bihar as part of a nationwide pattern. Calling for mass participation in Friday’s protest, he described it as “a fight to protect your vote.”
Following Gandhi’s allegations, the Chief Electoral Officers of Karnataka and Maharashtra have both asked him to submit sworn affidavits and concrete evidence of voter list manipulation.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi dismissed Gandhi’s remarks, questioning why Congress had not pursued legal remedies if it believed the elections were rigged. “Why did they not file an election petition? They only blame the Election Commission when results don’t go their way,” Joshi said.
