Congress lodges complaint with poll panel against BJP ‘electoral fraud’

BENGALURU: Days after lodging a complaint with the police alleging electoral fraud by the BJP, the state Congress on Monday lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission. The delegation was led by KPCC working president Ramalinga Reddy, former legislator V S Ugrappa and MLA Rizwan Ahmed.

The Congress has latched on to a purported statement of BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi that he will give Rs 6,000 per vote and alleged that the BJP is planning to spend Rs 30 crore to buy votes by bribing five crore voters of the state. The BJP’s national president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel have actively abetted the electoral fraud, the Congress has charged and demanded a full investigation.

Rizwan Ahmed also submitted a separate complaint alleging that 9,000 voter names have been deleted from the voter list in Shivajinagar constituency.

The Congress leaders speaking to the media after lodging the complaint.

Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent attack that Karnataka had become an ATM for the Congress, the leaders said it is the BJP government which is facing allegations of 40 per cent commission in government works.

“During the last election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made allegations of 10 per cent commission against the Congress government without any basis. Now, documents have been submitted to substantiate the 40 per cent commission allegations, they noted.