K'taka EC, Dy CM Shivakumar spar over Rahul Gandhi's poll fraud allegations

Karnataka CEO orders inquiry into Rahul Gandhi's claims; Election Commission challenges him to provide proof or apologise, citing earlier Supreme Court ruling

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V Anbukumar has ordered an inquiry into Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “large-scale election fraud”.

 

Speaking to reporters after leading a Congress delegation to submit a memorandum to Anbukumar, Shivakumar said he would revisit the CEO’s office to collect documents and evidence. “In the first phase, we have asked him to provide information on every Assembly segment where such incidents have taken place,” he said.

Karnataka CEO’s response to KPCC

In its response, the Karnataka CEO’s office acknowledged the KPCC’s representation but noted that no supporting documents had been provided for the allegations mentioned.

 

The CEO asked the Congress delegation to submit relevant documents along with the prescribed declaration or oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, so the complaint can be acted upon.

 

Earlier, letters from KPCC to the CEO had sought permission for a media briefing and submission of a memorandum following a protest rally. The rally, originally planned for August 5, was postponed to August 8 due to unforeseen circumstances.

Response to BJP’s counter-allegations

When asked about the BJP’s reaction, Shivakumar said: “Let them (BJP leaders) say whatever they want. We are asking a court, a judge, a commission with autonomous power. We have requested the Election Commission to take action because it is their responsibility to prepare the electoral roll, hold elections, and immediately set right things.”

 

The memorandum followed Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of electoral fraud in Mahadevapura during the Lok Sabha polls. On claims by former MLA Aravind Limbavali that there were bogus voters in CM Siddaramaiah’s Varuna constituency and Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan’s Chamarajpet seat, Shivakumar said the Election Commission of India (ECI) should investigate.

 

“Even if there are such issues in my constituency (Kanakapura), I will not mind. Action must be taken against those who have committed fraud,” he said.

EC’s counter to Rahul Gandhi

The ECI accused Rahul Gandhi of recycling old allegations that had been settled by the Supreme Court. It asked him to either submit a written declaration under electoral rules naming the wrongful entries or apologise.

 

Sources in the poll body described Gandhi’s claims as a “tired script” and “new wine in an old bottle”, saying similar issues were raised by then Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath in 2018 and rejected by the apex court.

 

The ECI dismissed Gandhi’s claims of non-functional websites, stating: “No issues with the Election Commission of India’s website. Functioning seamlessly since its launch.” It clarified that the e-roll download links for all states were operational.

ECI cites old SC verdict

According to ECI sources, in 2018 Congress leaders presented the Supreme Court with data from a private website to claim errors in electoral rolls, including one face appearing for 36 voters. The Commission said these defects had been fixed months earlier, and a corrected copy was sent to the party. The court refused Kamal Nath’s plea for searchable PDF rolls.

 

The Commission said Gandhi had attempted to mislead the public by alleging duplicate names, such as Aditya Srivastava’s, across three states — an issue resolved months ago.

Election Commission demands evidence

The ECI maintained that if Gandhi stood by his claims, he should have “no problem” signing a declaration listing wrongful additions or deletions. Refusal, it said, would indicate he did not believe his own conclusions, in which case he should apologise.

 

Chief electoral officers of three states had already asked Gandhi to share such details along with a signed declaration for further action. In a fact-check post on X, the ECI rejected claims that voter lists were removed from state websites after Gandhi’s press conference.

Rahul Gandhi’s rebuttal

At a Vote Adhikar rally in Bengaluru, Gandhi said he had already taken an oath in Parliament to uphold the Constitution, making a separate affidavit unnecessary.

 

“The EC asks me to file an affidavit and give information under oath. I have taken an oath inside Parliament holding the Constitution. Today, when people are questioning the Election Commission based on the data I released, the EC has shut its website,” he alleged.

 

On Thursday, Gandhi claimed “vote chori” (vote theft) of 100,250 votes in a Karnataka constituency, including 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 with fake or invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters from single addresses, 4,132 with invalid photos, and 33,692 misusing Form 6 for new voter registration.