BENGALURU, 3 AUG

Ahead of the Congress party’s planned protest on 5 August over alleged voter roll manipulation in Mahadevapura constituency, former minister H Nagesh has written to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Karnataka, seeking a copy of a complaint he claims was submitted in April 2023.

In a letter dated 31 July, Nagesh stated that the Congress had submitted details of forged entries in the voters’ list for Assembly Constituency 174-Mahadevapura. However, he admitted the party no longer had a copy of the original submission and requested that the CEO’s office provide it.

In response, Joint CEO Yogeshwar S, in a letter dated 2 August, said no such complaint had been received. “This office does not have records of any such letter received from you during April 2023,” he wrote, questioning the timing of the renewed complaint.

He added that certified copies of the electoral roll were provided to all candidates, including Nagesh, and are also publicly accessible online. He further pointed out that Nagesh had not filed any election petition or legal appeal under the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 or 1951.

The Congress, alleging large-scale electoral fraud in Mahadevapura and other constituencies during the 2023 Assembly elections, claims thousands of fake names were added and genuine voters removed. Rahul Gandhi is expected to join the protest in Bengaluru on Monday, which party leaders say aims to highlight electoral malpractice and demand accountability.