Bengaluru: The political row over voter fraud allegations in Karnataka took a new turn as a ground investigation revealed discrepancies in claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had alleged large-scale bogus voting in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency during the Lok Sabha elections, citing specific names and addresses as evidence of duplicate voter entries.
In the first case, Gandhi named Shakun Rani, a 70-year-old woman, claiming she had voted twice in the same election at Booth No. 341 in Mahadevapura. However, when contacted, Shakun Rani denied the allegation outright, calling it baseless.
In the second case, Gandhi alleged that 68 voters were registered at 153 BS Street, Mahadevapura. A visit to the address revealed it to be a commercial club building with no residential voters. The club’s general manager confirmed over the phone that no voters reside at the premises.
The third allegation involved House No. 35 in Munireddy Garden, where Gandhi claimed 80 voters were registered in a 10×15 ft property. The homeowner, Jayaram Reddy, refuted the claim, stating that only a few family members live there and the idea of 80 residents is impossible.
These findings have now raised questions about the accuracy of voter list irregularity claims. While Gandhi insists that bogus voting in Mahadevapura is part of a larger electoral malpractice network, election officials have yet to issue a formal clarification.
