Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister flag ‘poll irregularities’ in Delhi rally

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Sunday visited the national capital to participate in the ‘Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod’ rally at the Ramlila grounds by the Congress, alleging systematic “vote theft” and misuse of electoral processes by the BJP.

According to a press release from Mr. Siddaramaiah’s office, the party said its mobilisation in Delhi was not merely a political protest but an effort to defend the constitutional right to vote, which it described as the cornerstone of democracy.

Aland and Mahadevapura

The Chief Minister’s statement highlighted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s role in raising concerns over alleged irregularities, including mismatched voter lists and booth-level manipulation across several States. Specific references were made to the Mahadevapura and Aland Assembly segments in Karnataka, where irregularities were flagged.

In Aland, the release noted, a Special Investigation Team has filed a chargesheet against seven individuals, including a former BJP MLA and his son, in connection with the alleged attempted deletion of nearly 6,000 voters’ names ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

The statement said the issue went beyond technicalities and directly affected citizens, particularly women, the elderly, Dalits, OBCs, minorities, and the poor, whose democratic voice was being compromised. It called for transparent electoral rolls, accountability of election authorities, independent institutions, and a voting system that inspires public trust. 

To protect voting rights

Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar said the agitation was aimed at protecting the voting rights of the country’s 140 crore people and had “no political motive”.

Speaking to the media at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi, he said the Congress, under the leadership of Mr. Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, had launched the protest in Bengaluru and was now taking it to the national capital. “Elections are no longer being conducted in a free and fair manner. Despite repeated representations and evidence placed in the public domain, the Election Commission has not given satisfactory answers,” he said.

Mr. Shivakumar said around 3,500 to 4,000 workers from Karnataka had arrived in Delhi to take part in the protest. He added that 1.42 crore signatures had been collected during a Statewide campaign against alleged vote theft.

DKS stays on

While the Chief Minister on Sunday evening returned to Belagavi, where the Winter Session of the legislature is on, Mr. Shivakumar stayed back in Delhi to attend to the National Herald case. While he met Congress leaders – Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, and Mr. Kharge during the lunch organised by the party before the rally, he also met other leaders including Randeep Singh Surjewala late on Sunday evening.