Bengaluru: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Congress of using fake voter IDs to create fictitious voters and rig the Karnataka Assembly elections. He also said that everything about the Congress party was fake.


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"It is in the best interest of our democratic traditions that the EC ensures free and fair polling in Rajarajeshwarinagar and other parts of the state. The hopes and aspirations of the people of Karnataka cant be held hostage to the machinations of the Congress," Shah tweeted.


"I appeal to all democracy-loving Indians to rise to the occasion and speak up against this fraudulent, anti-democratic means adopted by the Congress just for the sake of power. Our vigilance will ensure our future generations breathe the air of freedom and democracy. Congress has read the writing on the wall. They know their reign of corruption and oppression is ending in Karnataka. That is why they are turning to unethical and anti-democratic ways to succeed. However, their attempts will be thwarted and the power of the people will win," he further said.






A massive controversy has rocked Karnataka after nearly 10,000 'fake' voter ID cards were seized from a flat in Rajrajeshwari Assembly seat, prompting the BJP to demand counter-manding of the election claiming Congress was behind the racket, a charge dismissed by the latter as a 'lie'. Both the parties went after each other's jugular, each claiming the flat belonged to a woman associated with the rival party.


Addressing a press conference, Union minister Prakash Javadekar claimed Congress candidate and sitting MLA Munirathna Naidu was behind the alleged racket, which was exposed by BJP worker Rakesh.




Congress spokesman Rajdeep Singh Surjawala hit back, alleging that the flat owner Manjula Nanjamari and Rakesh had BJP connections and both contested Bengaluru Municipal Corporation elections on the tickets of the saffron party, PTI reported.


While some TV news channels claimed Rakesh was Manjula's son, and others said she was his adoptive mother, the women at the centre of the controversy insisted they were relatives but had 'no contact'. She told a TV channel in Kannada, which was translated into English, that since she owned the land on which the apartment building stood, she had entered into a joint venture with a builder.


Manjula said she had rented or leased out the flats. "If Rakesh was aware that some wrongdoing was happening there, he should have informed me," PTI reported. When asked whether Rakesh was her son or adopted son, she said he was a nephew and that they had "no contact due to strain in family ties".


A press release issued by the Karnataka chief electoral officer that was published in some newspapers said the flat was "owned by a person named Manjula Nanjamari and was rented to a person named Rakesh".


Karnataka's Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar had called a press conference on Tuesday night where he had said that besides the cards, form 6A (application for inclusion of name in electoral roll by an overseas elector) with counterfoils were found. He said that the colour in the counterfoil appeared unusual and that an inquiry was on.


(With PTI inputs)