K'taka Cong collected evidence of poll irregularities, Rahul to present findings: Shivakumar

Bengaluru, July 30 (IANS) Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar claimed that the KPCC research wing has provided substantial information regarding alleged election malpractice to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Shivakumar said: "I think Rahul Gandhi is coming to Bengaluru on August 5. Let’s see — we are still in the discussion stage. I don’t want to disclose the details yet. Rahul Gandhi will explain everything... he has more information."

"The KPCC research team has provided him with a lot of information on election malpractice. It was our team that brought the election illegalities to his notice. In connection with this, he is coming to Bengaluru," he added.

"I am inviting all MLAs, block-level Congress leaders, ministers, and senior leaders to attend the event on August 5, on behalf of the party. On Thursday, AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala is arriving in Bengaluru. He has also convened a meeting with office bearers and district presidents. I am holding a separate meeting with the leaders from the Bengaluru division to issue instructions," Shivakumar stated.

"I will share later whether it will be a protest or a protest rally," he added.

"We have conducted a comprehensive research on how the election malpractice occurred, and my leader (Rahul Gandhi) will present all the details. This is not about Bihar or any other state — the question is how the votes were misused. There were instances of vote theft, and even during the Karnataka assembly elections, our candidate H. Nagesh had raised the issue — but nothing happened," he said.

It may be recalled that Nagesh contested from the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Bengaluru in the 2023 elections as a Congress candidate. He was defeated by BJP candidate Manjula S. by a margin of 44,501 votes.

“Still, we won a number of seats, except that one. Now again, we have conducted an extensive investigation through our team. We could have covered the entire state, but we have focused on certain constituencies. I don’t want to go into the details now. My leader will reveal everything,” Shivakumar added.

Shivakumar, later, held a preparatory meeting with leaders and office-bearers of the Bengaluru division at Bharat Jodo Bhavan on Wednesday night.

Addressing the leaders he stated: "We must make the people understand the irregularities that took place during the elections in our state and the injustice committed by the Election Commission. We must be ready to protect our vote and our rights."

"Currently in the country’s democratic system, issues like voting, polling booths, and electoral rolls are being widely discussed during elections. Even in our state, during the assembly elections, we conducted research on electoral malpractices.

"The BJP attempted to carry out irregularities by misusing Chilume and other organizations. We were not able to completely prevent it. The BJP had issued Election Commission ID cards to their workers and illegally tampered with the voter list in Bengaluru. As a result, the voter turnout in Bengaluru was significantly affected," Shivakumar alleged.

"There is an ongoing nationwide discussion about election malpractices, and there is widespread debate about what happened in states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka states. We need to create awareness among the people regarding this issue," Shivakumar stated.

--IANS

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