Congress to hold protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru today over ‘vote theft’

BENGALURU: The Congress party is set to hold a massive protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday, opposing alleged irregularities in the voter list. The protest will be held under the leadership of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.

Tight police security measures have been implemented around Freedom Park, where the protest will take place. Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons have been deployed, along with police water jets, a mobile command and control unit.

#WATCH | Karnataka | Security has been heightened, and preparations are in place for Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Adhikaar Rally’, which is to be held in Bengaluru today. pic.twitter.com/wGNxRrCiqX

— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2025

Doubling down on his ‘vote theft’ claim, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that times will change and punishment will surely be meted out to those who were involved in the “scam”. “Vote theft is not just an electoral scam, it is a major betrayal committed against the Constitution and democracy. Let the nation’s culprits hear this — times will change, punishment will surely be meted out”, Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

Rahul Gandhi said 1,00,250 “fake votes” were created in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka to ensure a win for the BJP. Taking the reporters through a detailed presentation of the ‘fraud’ at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, the LoP alleged that “collusion” had happened between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, which resulted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi securing his third term.

“Narendra Modi became Prime Minister with just a margin of 25 seats…Election Commission is helping BJP destroy the electoral system in India…The Election Commission is not giving us the data because of what we did in Mahadevpur (Karnataka Assembly constituency); if we do it in other Lok Sabha seats, then the truth about our democracy will come out. This is the evidence, criminal evidence (pointing to the physical voter list),” Rahul Gandhi said.

Chief Minister Siddaramiah endorsed his leader’s comments calling for the protests on Friday, “The 2024 election was manipulated to keep BJP in power. From controlling the Election Commission, to voter roll surges in Maharashtra, to silent deletions in Bihar — the pattern of manipulation is clear. Today, Shri Rahul Gandhi revealed the scale – over 1 lakh fake votes in Mahadevapura alone, flipping Bangalore Central. And similar tactics may have been used in several narrow BJP wins across the country. That’s why the Congress party – along with the people – will take to the streets tomorrow. This isn’t just a protest. It’s a fight to protect your vote. Be there in large numbers”.

Taking cognisance of Gandhi’s allegations of voter roll manipulations in a Karnataka Assembly segment, the State Chief Electoral Officer asked him to submit his evidence under oath. Regarding his allegations of “voter fraud” in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has also asked the Leader of Opposition to submit a sworn affidavit and provide specific evidence of alleged inclusion or deletion of electors from the voter rolls.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his allegations targeting the Election Commission, questioning why the Congress had not objected through “legal means” and accusing the party of selectively blaming the poll body depending on electoral outcomes.

“There is no need to take him seriously. Why did the Congress party not file any objection? Why did he not file any election petition?” Joshi told ANI, while responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “voter fraud”. (ANI)