Rajanna was asked if the voter irregularities reported in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura Lok Sabha constituency could also be found in Tumakuru. In response, Rajanna placed responsibility for failing to stop the alleged cheating on his own party.
Published Aug 11, 2025 | 4:30 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 11, 2025 | 4:49 PM
KN Rajanna
Synopsis: Karnataka Cabinet Minister KN Rajanna has resigned just days after he accused his own party of failing to prevent voter irregularities, following alleged ‘vote theft’ claims highlighted by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar rejected Rajanna’s allegations.
Karnataka Cabinet Minister for Cooperation KN Rajanna on Monday, 11 August, resigned from his post, reportedly following directions from the Congress high command. His resignation comes days after he openly criticised his own party over alleged voter irregularities during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to the media in Tumakuru, Rajanna was asked if the voter irregularities reported in Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura Lok Sabha constituency could also be found in Tumakuru. Last week, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha presented detailed allegations of large-scale voter fraud in two assembly segments of Mahadevapura.
Responding to these questions, Rajanna placed responsibility for failing to stop the alleged cheating on his own party.
“When were all the voter lists made? They were made when our own government was in power. At that time, everyone was sitting with their eyes closed. If you just go on talking, you have to talk properly. The truth is these illegalities happened. There is no lie in this. These illegalities happened right before our eyes, so we should feel insulted. Therefore, we need to be careful going forward,” he said.
The veteran party leader further supported Rahul Gandhi’s charge about the alleged voter theft in Mahadevapura.
“In Mahadevapura, there has indeed been cheating. One person is included in the voter list in three different places and votes. Where there are 10-15 people, 60 people get added to the voter list. There are no addresses, no father’s names. All these other things have been done illegally.”
Rajanna also lent his voice to allegations that Prime Minister Modi’s seat in Varanasi was rigged in favour of the BJP.
“In the beginning, the draft election commission would come and prepare the roll. They did what they were not supposed to do and changed the voter list and became the Prime Minister. That is one hundred percent true. There is no second opinion about that,” he said.
“But when we draft the electoral roll, we have to raise objections. That carries a responsibility. At that time, if we just stay silent, now we are speaking. We have done all the campaigning in the elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Going forward, we have guidelines to be careful,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar quickly disputed Rajanna’s remarks, saying that Rajanna was “totally wrong.”
The Union Minister of State for MSME and Labour Shobha Karandlaje, addressing the media in New Delhi, claimed Rajanna’s allegations show that the Congress party does not tolerate truth tellers.
“Congress doesn’t have the courage to accept truth. Rajanna had provided a truthful answer to the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi. Mahadevapura has become the centre of attention for people all around the country and people from all around are arriving there to understand what happened. Gradually, people are realising the truth. Naturally, the number of voters in the constituency have grown,” she said.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Nolan Patrick Pinto)
