The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the Congress of engaging in significant voter fraud within the Jubilee Hills Assembly Constituency, labeling it as a peak of “Vote Chori” (voter theft). BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR), accompanied by senior party members, lodged a detailed complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana, alleging the presence of duplicate entries, fake voters, and irregularities in the voter list of the constituency.
Following the submission of the complaint, KTR addressed the media, asserting that the Congress was utilizing official resources and machinery to influence the outcome of the bypoll through manipulation. He claimed that the Congress was employing various tactics, including persuasion, division, and coercion, and highlighted the presence of ministers from different parts of Telangana in Jubilee Hills, allegedly misusing power and financial resources to sway the election results.
KTR also criticized the Congress government for what he deemed as hypocrisy, pointing out contradictions in their actions. He questioned the sudden influx of funds into Jubilee Hills while their own MLAs were expressing financial constraints to entities like the World Bank and newspapers. The BRS alleged the identification of nearly 20,000 duplicate and fake votes in Jubilee Hills, with approximately 400 polling booths displaying around 50 fraudulent votes each. Instances of individuals holding multiple voter ID cards were reported, with one case revealing over 100 registered votes in a small house and 23 listed voters who did not reside there. The party accused the Congress of colluding with lower-level officials to include these fictitious names in the voter list.
KTR attributed the electoral malpractice to Rahul Gandhi, characterizing it as a national-level electoral theft manifested locally in Jubilee Hills. Despite the deletion of 12,000 invalid votes, nearly 7,000 new fake votes were allegedly added, resulting in a total manipulation of 19,000 votes. He highlighted the absurdity of the situation by mentioning instances where the Congress candidate’s brother possessed three bogus votes.
Expressing distrust in the Election Commission, KTR hinted at the possibility of legal action if necessary and demanded the removal of fake votes to ensure fair elections, even if it meant a delay of up to 10 days. The BRS called upon the Election Commission to conduct a thorough investigation, take stringent action against the implicated officials, and transfer compromised officers to guarantee an impartial electoral process.
In response to the allegations, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar of the Congress dismissed them as a ploy to divert attention, emphasizing the lack of development under the BRS leadership. He challenged KTR to a debate on the matter, attributing the allegations to a strategy of diversion due to the increasing support for the Congress in the region.
The controversy surrounding “Vote Chori” has intensified, emerging as a significant political issue leading up to the Jubilee Hills bypoll, with both parties exchanging accusations regarding fake votes and alleged abuse of authority.