Bengaluru, July 25: BJP leader and Karnataka Legislative Council member C.T. Ravi has alleged that the Congress party committed electoral fraud to win nine Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka during the 2024 general elections.
Speaking to the media at Karnataka Bhavan in Delhi, Ravi was responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusation against the Election Commission of India (ECI). He claimed that the Congress engineered a conspiracy to manipulate results in several constituencies including Bidar, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Chikkodi, Davanagere, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, and Kalaburagi.
“Despite this conspiracy, the NDA won 19 seats, which is a victory for democracy,” Ravi said. He questioned the sudden rise in Congress’ fortunes compared to 2019, when the Congress-JD(S) alliance managed to win only one seat.
Ravi alleged that revenue officials and schoolteachers, who carry out electoral roll revisions, work under the state government, which was then under Congress control—giving them more opportunity for malpractice.
“There’s a strong possibility that Congress used similar tactics even during the 2023 Assembly elections,” Ravi added, hinting at doubts surrounding his own defeat despite major development work in his constituency.
He cited the 1975 Allahabad High Court judgment against Indira Gandhi, stating that the Congress has a “proven history” of electoral misconduct. “Instead of accepting the verdict, the Congress imposed an Emergency—a criminal act against democracy,” he said.
Ravi concluded by asserting that the Congress has the background and mindset to commit electoral offenses, unlike the BJP. “There’s a saying—don’t trust a thief to guard your home. Those with a criminal history suspect others of the very acts they commit themselves,” he remarked.
He demanded a comprehensive investigation into the 2024 Lok Sabha election results in Karnataka.
