K'taka polls: BJP alleges 'rigged election' in BTM Layout

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lallesh Reddy, who is contesting the Karnataka Assembly election from BTM Layout constituency, has claimed that polling at a booth in the constituency was rigged by the state government officials.

Reddy, while talking to ANI said that few men who claimed to be officials of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) first gave voter identity cards to the people and collected it back when those people returned after casting their votes.

"I saw few people who claimed be from BBMP handing over ID cards to people and after they returned from the booth those cards were recollected," Reddy said.

He further said that when he questioned the alleged BBMP officials about the same; they were not able to answer him.

"I asked the polling officials, the guards but none of them bothered to answer me. My opponent candidate is Ramalinga Reddy who is Home Minister of Karnataka and from a leader from Congress party. Even the police refused to support me. They even snatched the phone in which we were recording the entire incident," Reddy said.

He added that later few goons who were allegedly from the Congress party threatened to kill him.

Reddy has filed a complaint with the Election Commission in this regard.

The polling was held in the state today in 222 Assembly constituencies out of total 224 constituencies.