Votes Theft: Rahul Gandhi postpones protest demo in Bengaluru to August 8

AICC leader Rahul Gandhi has postponed the scheduled protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bengaluru from August 5 to August 8 in view of the state mourning observed for former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren, who died on Monday.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar said the late Soren was a key alliance partner of the Congress. As the final rites were scheduled for Tuesday, the Congress has postponed the event, he said.

The Congress will hold a protest at Freedom Park.


Gandhi will lead the Congress protest against what he alleged “votes theft” in Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat that he said caused his party’s rout in the last year’s general elections. AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will join the protest.

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 Election Commission 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.

On BJP's counter protest, Shivakumar said they were welcome to do so in a democracy. “During the (Lok Sabha) election, our candidate from Mahadevapura had lodged a complaint but it was not attended by the Election Commission. Upon investigation, more things have come to the limelight. We can't sit quietly because it has come to light late. We will place our findings before the public and they will decide who is right and who is wrong," he said.