‘Voter List Fraud’ Claim by Congress: Here’s What News18 Found on the Ground in Bengaluru
The investigation focused on two addresses flagged by the Congress, bringing out conflicting statements from property owners and election officials.
A ground investigation was conducted by CNN-News18 on Friday to verify the allegations of voter list fraud made by the Congress party in Bengaluru’s Mahadevpura constituency. The probe centred on two addresses highlighted by the Congress, revealing contradictory claims from property owners and election officers.
One of the main points of dispute is a building at House No. 35, Muni Reddy Layout, where the Congress alleges that 80 people are registered as voters. According to the building’s owner, Jayaram Reddy, this is a clear case of fraud. “I do not know anyone who has registered as a voter from my property,” Reddy said. He further claimed that he has never rented out the one-bedroom house to 80 people in the last 15 years.
However, a booth-level officer (BLO) presented a different view. The officer explained that over the years, the house has been used as a temporary residence for daily wage workers and security guards. These individuals generally stay for a short duration — six months to a year — before moving elsewhere.
The BLO admitted that while they had submitted lists for deletion of names, the process is not simple. “It is not possible to delete so many names at once… We cannot do it legally,” the officer said, adding that many of those who have shifted may still be working nearby due to the large number of IT companies in the area.
The BLO, however, could not explain how such a large number of people enrolled as voters, especially when the voter list is not updated every few months.
The investigation also covered another address — Survey No. 153, which houses the Biere Street brewery. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had alleged that 68 voters were registered from here. However, the brewery’s management categorically denied that any of its staff had registered as voters from that address. A manager said that neither their employees nor the owners are registered as voters there. “We have no idea who has registered from this address,” the manager told CNN-News18.
This has also raised questions on how the voter roll revision process failed to detect the absence of voters at this property, which is purely commercial in nature.
