The complainant urged the police to probe the insertion of 'fake voters' and ensure that all those responsible for the criminal act are brought to book.
Published Nov 23, 2025 | 11:35 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 23, 2025 | 11:44 AM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Bengaluru’s Whitefield police registered an FIR for ‘vote chori’ after Congress worker Y Vinoda alleged large-scale insertion of fake voters in Mahadevapura Assembly seat ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. She claimed a ‘nexus’ of officials and a rival party enabled the manipulation to undermine the mandate. The case is filed under IPC sections and Section 129 of the Representation of the People Act. Rahul Gandhi had earlier flagged the issue.
The Whitefield Police in Bengaluru lodged a case of electoral fraud following a complaint alleging widespread addition of bogus voters to the Mahadevapura electoral rolls in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The complaint was filed by Y Vinoda, a resident of Nallurhalli in Whitefield and president of the Congress Marathahalli block committee. She claimed that unidentified officials and private individuals had ‘fraudulently’ inserted fictitious names into the constituency’s voter lists.
Vinoda further alleged that such extensive manipulation could not have occurred without the active collusion and “nexus” of certain government officials, members of the political party that allegedly gained from it, and other unidentified private persons.
Vinoda urged the police to probe the insertion of ‘fake voters’ into the electoral rolls and to ensure that all those responsible for the criminal activity are brought to justice.
“Based on publicly available information, I have learnt that, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the Bengaluru Central Parliamentary Constituency, a large number of fake voters were added to the electoral rolls of Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, thereby undermining the public mandate. It would not have been possible to include such a large number of fake voters in the voter list without the active conspiracy of government officials, members of the political party that benefited from such manipulation, and other unknown private individuals. The revelation of this voter list fraud is a matter of grave concern relating to our democratic processes,” she stated in her complaint.
The police have registered the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Section 129 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had previously highlighted the issue of alleged electoral manipulation in Mahadevapura during a press conference in August 2025.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev with inputs from Anisha Reddy.)
