In Karnataka seat where ‘vote chori’ claims first surfaced, over 800 voter IDs linked to 397 names after SIR
An investigation into Karnataka's electoral rolls reveals significant errors, including over 800 voter IDs linked to only 397 individuals following a special revision exercise. The report highlights systemic issues such as duplicate EPIC numbers and corrupted data entries in the Mahadevapura constituency.
Why it matters
Electoral roll integrity is fundamental to democratic processes; these findings raise concerns about potential voter fraud and administrative failures in Indian elections.
Bengaluru: While one of the aims of the special intensive revision (SIR) was to weed out duplicate entries from electoral rolls, The Hindu found that after the SIR exercise, Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency alone had 803 voter IDs linked to just 397 people. In several cases, more than three voter IDs had been issued under one person’s name. This is the very constituency where the "vote chori (theft)" controversy first erupted, with the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleging that over one lakh fake or stolen votes had been systematically engineered in the area to manipulate the outcome of the 2024 Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha election. The seat is currently represented by the BJP.
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