Vote theft: Rahul Gandhi to lead protest in Bengaluru on Friday

AICC leader Rahul Gandhi will lead a protest demonstration in Bengaluru on Friday on “vote theft,” highlighting his charge that elections had been rigged in Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat, last year.

“Karnataka will be the launchpad for our resistance. We will expose this fraud, street by street and booth by booth,” Gandhi said at a press conference in Delhi on Thursday.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretaries RS Surjewala & KC Venugopal, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM DK Shivakumar will join him in the protests at the Freedom Park after 10.30 am.


The Dy CM has not disclosed what proof Gandhi would submit to the chief electoral officer (CEO) during his meeting with him Friday afternoon.

The CEO’s office has informed the Congress that its delegation could meet the CEO between 1 pm and 3 pm to submit the memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Gandhi, who is also the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, has alleged voter theft in Maharashtra and Karnataka in support of his demand for release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. He recently said he has 100% proof of the ECI allowing cheating in a seat in Karnataka. He said he just looked at one constituency, but the same “drama” of addition of thousands of new voters had been going on in constituency after constituency.