Rahul Gandhi has alleged the theft of one lakh votes in the Mahadevapura area of Bengaluru Central, a constituency that Congress has never won. Congress fought a close contest in 2024 but ultimately lost. Prior to this, there was also a controversy regarding voter data here. Now, Rahul Gandhi is protesting, accusing the Election Commission of electoral fraud.
Rahul Gandhi: Following the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged large-scale irregularities and ‘vote theft’ in the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat. He specifically named the Mahadevapura assembly constituency, claiming that over 1 lakh fake votes were cast here, leading to the BJP's victory. However, this seat has never been a Congress bhold. This raises the question — are these allegations born out of frustration from the defeat, or is there a genuine basis behind them?
Congress Accuses of Election Rigging
Rahul Gandhi alleged that approximately 1 lakh votes were manipulated out of 3.25 lakh voters in the Mahadevapura area, which falls under the Bengaluru Central seat. He claimed that the Election Commission and the BJP colluded to influence the election here, turning the potential victory of Congress candidate Mansoor Ali Khan into a defeat.
Rahul Gandhi, in support of these allegations, cited figures stating that the Congress's internal team conducted an in-depth analysis of the Mahadevapura voter list and found concrete evidence of irregularities. In this context, he is scheduled to lead a protest in Bengaluru on Friday.
Political History of Mahadevapura
The Mahadevapura assembly seat was formed in 2008 and is reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Since then, Congress has never won here. Senior BJP leader Arvind Limbavali won from here three consecutive times (2008, 2013, 2018). In 2023, his wife, Manjula Limbavali, once again hoisted the BJP flag from this seat.
In Lok Sabha elections as well, Congress has never achieved success in the Bengaluru Central seat. From 2009 to 2024, BJP's PC Mohan was continuously elected as a Member of Parliament from this seat four times. However, the contest in 2024 was extremely close, with the margin of victory being just 32,707 votes. Mansoor Ali Khan had even gained a lead of over 80,000 votes in the initial trends of the election, but the BJP turned the tables in the final results.
'Chilume Group' Controversy in the Background of Allegations
Congress's suspicion regarding Mahadevapura is not new. In 2022, a major controversy arose regarding the voter list here. The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) assigned the work of collecting voter data in three areas, including Mahadevapura, to a private organization called 'Chilume Group'.
Congress alleged that this organization manipulated the voter list at the behest of the BJP. As the matter escalated, the Election Commission ordered an inquiry, and IAS officer Amlan Biswas reported that there was no evidence of any kind of fraud or tampering. However, Congress remained dissatisfied with this conclusion, and now that it has faced a very narrow defeat in Bengaluru Central, it has reiterated allegations of electoral fraud, mentioning Mahadevapura once again.
Is this the Frustration of Defeat?
Political analysts believe that Rahul Gandhi's targeting of Mahadevapura is not just a technical matter, but also has political significance. While the BJP has consistently maintained its dominance in this region, Congress has not been able to establish itself here. Although Congress gave the BJP a tough fight in 2024, it seems unable to digest the defeat after losing.
There may also be a strategic motive behind Congress's allegations — to question the credibility of the central government and the Election Commission before the upcoming elections in Bihar and other states. This could be a political gambit to draw public attention towards the opposition.
