Rahul’s ‘vote chori’ charge goes on record with Mahadevpura fake voter FIR

Bengaluru: Police have registered a case of electoral fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly constituency after a local resident alleged large-scale inclusion of fake voters in the rolls ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the FIR, complainant Y Vinoda (39), a resident of Nallurhalli, said unidentified officials and private individuals inserted fake names into the Mahadevapura voter list during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in the Bengaluru Central Parliamentary constituency. She alleged the entries were made in a manner that could not have happened without the involvement of government officials and those who benefited politically.

Vinoda said the alleged manipulation appeared to have subverted the public mandate. She called it a serious assault on democratic processes and sought a complete, fair and impartial probe into the alleged forgery and falsification of the rolls. She also asked police to take legal action against all those involved. Police said an investigation has been initiated.

The case comes months after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly flagged Mahadevapura as a key example of what he called “vote chori”.

At an August press conference, Gandhi alleged that the constituency’s rolls carried a large number of fake or doubtful entries, including duplicates and bulk registrations at common addresses, and claimed these additions tilted the electoral outcome in Bengaluru Central. The Election Commission had rejected the charge at the time and asked Gandhi to back his claims formally.

Mahadevapura was central to Gandhi’s broader allegation that electoral rolls were being manipulated in the 2024 general election, with the Congress calling it a pattern of systematic fraud rather than clerical error. The party had said its internal review of Mahadevapura data showed serious irregularities and demanded a transparent audit of the rolls.

In the 2024 Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha election, Congress led in multiple Assembly segments even though it lost the Lok Sabha seat overall. Mahadevapura was the one segment where the BJP got a massive lead, and that single segment margin swung Bengaluru Central for the BJP.

Congress led in segments such as Sarvagnanagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar and Chamrajpet, whereas the BJP led in C V Raman Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Rajaji Nagar and Mahadevapura.

BJP leaders and critics aligned with the Election Commission maintained that Congress accepted the same rolls and results in segments where it led or won, and raised “vote chori” specifically about Mahadevapura, where the BJP’s lead was decisive.

The FIR also lands amid renewed speculation within the ruling Congress in Karnataka over a possible leadership change in the state. For weeks, party circles have been abuzz with talk of a cabinet reshuffle and the old Siddaramaiah–D K Shivakumar power-sharing debate resurfacing, with multiple leaders publicly weighing in and the high command repeatedly asked to step in.