Key Points

In his Press statement, released on Tuesday, Siroya stated, "LoP Rahul Gandhi by coming to Bengaluru a few days back, and making wild allegations about electoral rolls, has opened up a can of worms. His party men, including his CM, are more affected than anybody else."

"We should thank Rahul Gandhi for coming to Bengaluru because what he has ultimately done is destabilise his own government. Co-operation Minister K.N. Rajanna's undemocratic sacking because he contradicted Rahul Gandhi is the beginning of the Congress' fall in Karnataka," he underlined.

He further stated, "C.M. Ibrahim, former union minister and one of Siddaramaiah's closest associates and advisors for decades, has made a shocking revelation. He has said that he, along with senior Congress leader B.B. Chimmanakatti, helped purchase 3,000 votes in 2018, so that Siddaramaiah could scrape through the Assembly election from the Badami Assembly seat. In the final count, Siddaramaiah's victory margin in Badami was a mere 1,696 votes. It was a humiliating margin for a sitting chief minister. The NOTA votes, which were 2007, were higher than his victory margin."

"Ibrahim was a prominent Congress leader in 2018, and by all references and claims, was in charge of his friend's election. Ibrahim will do us a great favour if he tells us how, and from whom, he purchased the 3,000 votes to save his friend. He has also said Siddaramaiah had paid for this purchase, but took six months to make the payment. The Election Commission of India (ECI) may want to take note of this claim of gross electoral corruption from someone who has been a lawmaker and a union minister himself, and order an investigation," Siroya stated.

"The person who lost the battle to Siddaramaiah in Badami, in 2018, was Sriramulu from my party. Perhaps Sriramulu also has some information and insight on how the 3,000 votes were purchased. If he speaks, we'll know more on what happened in 2018 when he had contested from two seats, and would have practically won both the seats if this vote purchase had not happened," he claimed.

"Now that Ibrahim has spoken about Siddaramaiah's narrow victory in Badami, in 2018, he should also open up on the 2006 bye-election of Siddaramaiah from the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency. Then, too, he was his close friend and strategist. That was Siddaramaiah's first election after he joined the Congress. His victory margin was only 257 votes. Were votes purchased even then? The Congress was in power in Delhi. Did they manage a victory for Siddaramaiah then? Who were the officers who conducted that election?" he questioned.

- IANS