Bengaluru traffic advisory: Road closure, parking ban announced on these roads ahead of Rahul Gandhi rally

Bengaluru Traffic Police have announced temporary parking bans and urged commuters to avoid certain arterial roads at two time slots today, citing a VVIP visit. The restrictions come as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to address a rally in the city over alleged voter fraud in the 2024 general elections.

Bengaluru Traffic update

According to the advisory, parking will be prohibited and traffic will be regulated on key routes from 10.30 am to 11.30 am and again from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm. The affected roads are:

• Old Airport Road
• MG Road
• Cubbon Road
• Chalukya Road
• Shantala Junction.

The police have asked commuters to take alternative routes during these periods. “Public are requested to co-operate,” the advisory stated.

Rahul Gandhi Rally in Bengaluru

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of carrying out what he described as a "huge criminal fraud" in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency. He alleged that in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment, over 1,00,250 votes were “stolen” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Calling it a “vote chori” operation, Gandhi claimed the alleged fraud was conducted with the support of the Election Commission. He said Congress’ data analysis showed discrepancies in voter rolls that benefited the BJP.

BJP response

BJP MP from Bangalore Central, P C Mohan, rejected the claims. “Rahul Gandhi drops an atom bomb of allegations, but still can't produce a single explosive proof,” he said.

Mohan questioned why Congress had not pursued the matter legally within the permitted time frame. “If 1,00,250 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura, why wasn’t a case filed in court within 45 days instead of holding a press conference one year later?” he asked.

Defending his party’s win in Mahadevapura, Mohan described the area as “Hindu-dominated” and said voters had rejected “dynasty, appeasement, and entitlement.” He added, “To him, any minority-heavy seat must belong to Congress. The problem is not fraud. The problem is the verdict.”

Mohan said that electoral rolls were shared with all parties during the Special Summary Revision of 2024 and that Congress did not raise objections before or after their final publication. “Now, after losing Bangalore Central, they cry about vote theft at a press conference,” he said.