Bengaluru, 8 Nov

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that 1.12 crore signatures have been collected in the State as part of the signature campaign against vote theft launched by AICC leaders.

The Congress had launched the campaign after party leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that there was rampant “vote chori” occurring in the country. Most recently, he dropped his “hydrogen bomb,” claiming that 25 lakhvotes were illegal in Haryana’s 2024 Assembly elections.

“We have collected signatures from 40 political districts in the State. The campaign went off very well and we have collected 1,12,40,000 signatures,” Shivakumar said at the Bharat Jodo Bhavan at Congress Bhavan on Friday. “We have decided to share the signatures to Delhi on 10 November. There is a massive rally being planned at Ram Leela Maidan in Delhi on 25 November.”

Shivakumar said that the Karnataka had collected the most number of signatures in the campaign, as compared to other states. The Congress has alleged that “vote chori” has occurred in two constituencies – Aland andMahadevapura.

The Irrigation Minister said that the SIT, which is probing the alleged vote theft in Aland will submit its report “soon”

Asked why the party has not moved the courts or submitted an affidavit to the Election Commission, he said, “We are seeking supplementary documents from the Election Commission but they are not giving. Let them give the documents and then we will submit an affidavit. The media investigated vote fraud in Mahadevapura constituency and found that more than 84 votes in one address. The Election Commission hasn’t done anything about it.”

BJP won elections through vote theft: CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday alleged that after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, he "destroyed all constitutional and independent institutions in the country" and made them, including the Election Commission, subordinate to the Central government. He accused the BJP of coming to power in several states through vote theft.

"We call BJP experts in lying; they are not just experts in lying, lies are their home deity. They have proved that they are experts in vote theft. Vote theft has become their profession," Siddaramaiah said. "BJP in recent years, through vote theft, have won Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and has come to power at the Centre and in several states.”

Siddaramaiah was speaking after announcing that the Congress party has gathered more than 1.12 crore signatures against 'vote theft' in the State as part of its signature campaign.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has exposed the BJP with evidence in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Haryana.

"During the recent Bihar polls, people who had earlier voted in Delhi polls have voted in Bihar too…. Gaining power using unconstitutional means is against the basic principles of democracy and the Constitution," he added.

The Chief Minister said the Election Commission was responding "irresponsibly" to the allegations and not acting in accordance with the Constitution in a democratic system.

"It is clear from this that the Election Commission is functioning under the influence of the Central government. Not only now, after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, he has destroyed all the independent agencies or bodies like CBI, ED, IT and now the Election Commission by making them function under their (ruling BJP) influence," Siddaramaiah said.

Meanwhile, AICC Secretary Mansoor Ali Khan, who helped Gandhi investigate the alleged vote theft in the Mahadevapura Constituency said in a statement that “As the candidate from Bengaluru Central, I stand with every Indian whose vote has been stolen. This fight is for our democracy, our rights, and our future.”

Opposition Leader R Ashoka hit back at the vote theft allegations, asking why Gandhi hadn’t submitted an affidavit before EC yet.

He added that the real vote manipulators were the Congress.

“The true intent behind the Congress government's blind folly in protecting lakhs of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in Karnataka—without deporting them—is to enable illegal voting through their hands and win elections that way,” he wrote on X.