Lahar Singh Siroya
Credit: DH Photo/ S K Dinesh
Rajya Sabha member Lahar Singh Siroya of the BJP on Sunday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to probe an audio clip allegedly featuring Arasikere Congress MLA Shivalinge Gowda, who claimed that money was distributed in Hassan Lok Sabha constituency for the victory of Congress candidate Shreyas Patel during the 2024 elections.
“Now, there is another audio making rounds. In this explosive audio clip, a sitting Congress MLA from Hassan district, Shivalinge Gowda, is heard speaking, apparently to a Congress Rajya Sabha MP, on how much money should be distributed per voter in the Hassan parliamentary seat to ensure their candidate’s victory. This was in connection with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Singh posted on ‘X,’ tagging the Election Commission.
Siroya said the irony was that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been alleging ‘vote chori,’ while his own partymen were past masters in the ‘vote chori’ game, he said.
“The fact that Rahul Gandhi makes wild allegations without worrying about what his party and partymen are all about, is proof that he is desperately trying to remain relevant in the Indian political landscape. He does not realise that Congress is left with little or no credibility,” the MP said.
The RS member has said in his ‘X’ post that he has not independently verified the authenticity of Shivalinge Gowda’s audio.
He urged the ECI to take note of this audio and investigate it alongside his earlier complaint.
Singh had recently written to the poll panel, demanding that a probe be conducted into former union minister C M Ibrahim’s statement that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had purchased 3,000 votes in Badami segment in the 2018 Assembly elections to ensure his victory.