LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Bengaluru: Rahul Gandhi drops an "atom bomb" of allegations, but can't produce a single explosive proof, fourth time BJP MP of Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency, P C Mohan, said on Thursday.
It is in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of his constituency, Congress leader claims, that 1,00,250 votes were "stolen".
Mohan said, BJP won in Mahadevapura, a Hindu-dominated segment, because Hindus voted decisively against dynasty, appeasement, and entitlement.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi cited an analysis of data from Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency to make claims of "huge criminal fraud" in 2024 polls, perpetrated by the BJP through the Election Commission.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said that the Congress analysed the voter data of the Lok Sabha constituency of Bangalore Central and the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in it. He claimed that approximately 1,00,250 votes were "stolen" in the Mahadevapura assembly segment.
"Rahul Gandhi drops an atom bomb of allegations, but still can't produce a single explosive proof. If 1,00,250 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura, why wasn't a case filed in court within 45 days instead of holding a press conference one year later? This is just another drama," Mohan said.
Noting that electoral rolls are prepared as per the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950, and the Rules,1960, in a series of posts on 'X', he said, "Draft rolls (Special Summary Revision 2024) were shared with Congress in November 2024. Not a single appeal was filed after the final publication. Now, after losing Bangalore Central, they cry at a press conference about vote theft."
By alleging 1,00,250 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura, Rahul Gandhi has insulted the people of Bangalore Central, especially thousands of Hindus who voted for the BJP, the MP said, "To him, any minority-heavy seat must belong to Congress. The problem is not fraud. The problem is the verdict."
"Rahul Gandhi is alleging 1,00,250 votes were stolen in Mahadevapura, a Hindu-dominated seat, not in Shivajinagar, which is minority-dominated. When Hindus vote BJP, it's called fraud. When minorities vote Congress, it's called secularism. This hypocrisy won't fool voters anymore," he said.
Let's be clear, BJP didn't win Mahadevapura through manipulation, Mohan said, "We won because Hindus voted decisively against dynasty, appeasement, and entitlement. Rahul Gandhi must learn: minority-dominated constituencies are not Congress property. The voter is supreme. Accept the mandate."
State BJP President B Y Vijayendra, reacting to the Congress leader's allegations, asked, was this the "Atom Bomb" evidence Rahul Gandhi promised? "What he (Rahul Gandhi) presented was simply a display of ignorance about how electoral rolls are prepared, along with a deliberate attempt to misrepresent facts and cry foul after defeat," he posted on 'X'.
"Let us remind Mr. Gandhi of a basic fact. Bengaluru Central has been a BJP stronghold since its creation post-delimitation in 2009," the BJP state chief said and added that the voters of this constituency have consistently chosen development, stability and leadership, not divisive politics or a sense of entitlement.
"So Mr. Gandhi, please understand and accept the truth. The voters of Karnataka have once again rejected you and your party. Do not try to pass off your political failure as evidence of fraud. And above all, do not insult the voters of Karnataka with such baseless narratives," he added.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, earlier in the day, Gandhi cited that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 6,58,915 votes in the Bangalore Central seat, winning with a margin of 32,707.
"In the Mahadevapura assembly segment, the Congress received 1,15,586 votes, whereas the BJP garnered 2,29,632 votes.
"The Congress won all the Vidhan Sabhas except Mahadevapura, where the BJP swept and secured a victory margin of 1,14,046 votes. This seat significantly contributed to their election win, and the Lok Sabha result went in their favour on that seat," he said.
"This discrepancy is a huge imbalance. So, we (Congress) started examining the details and discovered that approximately 1,00,250 votes were stolen in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment," he claimed.
Rahul alleged there was a "theft" of 1,00,250 votes in the Mahadevapura segment, with 11,965 duplicate voters in the segment, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos and 33,692 voters misusing Form 6 of new voters.