Siddaramaiah in Voter Adhikar Yatra with same Cong he once accused of 'electoral fraud': BJP

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) The BJP on Friday took a swipe at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said it was an irony that he was participating in 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar with the same Congress which he once accused of indulging in electoral fraud.

This came after Siddaramaiah left Karnataka for poll-bound Bihar to take part in the campaign led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Reacting to the Karnataka chief minister's Bihar trip, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said in a post on X, "Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah is in Bihar for a 'Vote Adhikar' rally—marching with the same Congress he once accused of electoral fraud in the 1991 Koppal Lok Sabha polls against Basavaraj Patil Anwari." "The irony is so thick you could cut it with a knife…Back then, he cried 'vote chori' because he lost on ballot papers," he added.

Contesting as a Janata Dal candidate from Karnataka's Koppal Lok Sabha seat in the 1991 parliamentary elections, Siddaramiah had lost to Congress candidate Basavaraj Patil Anwari. He later joined the Congress in 2006.

Posting an undated video clip of Siddaramaiah purportedly talking about his defeat in the 1991 polls in Kannada, Malviya claimed in another post on X, "This video is proof—the same man who once fought against Congress’s 'vote chori' is today their CM, leading a so-called Vote Adhikar rally." He alleged that the ongoing 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar is a "masterclass in hypocrisy" and a "pathetic attempt to delegitimise" the very democratic process that has shown the Congress its "true place".

"Today, Rahul Gandhi, the political dynast, is crying wolf about 'electoral fraud' only because the people of India have decisively thrown the Congress out of power through the democratic process and the unhackable EVMs," Malviya charged.

"This isn't about democracy; it is about a family business that has lost its relevance," he added.

Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' began on August 17 in Sasaram district of Bihar. It will conclude with a padyatra (foot march) in Patna on September 1 after covering nearly 1,300 kilometres across Bihar.

The yatra is aimed at highlighting the issue of alleged irregularities in elections and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state.

Assembly polls in Bihar are likely to be held in November. PTI PK PK KSS KSS