Mysuru: Congress Spokesperson and defeated candidate from the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha Constituency, M. Lakshmana, has levelled serious allegations of electoral malpractice in four Assembly segments of the Constituency.

Addressing reporters near the Band House, Lakshmana claimed that large-scale vote rigging had occurred during the last elections. He announced plans to escalate the matter to Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who is set to lead a protest in Bengaluru on Aug. 8 against electoral fraud across the country.

The Mysuru-Kodagu Constituency, which comprises eight Assembly segments and over 23 lakh registered voters spread across 2,202 polling booths, allegedly witnessed vote tampering in specific areas.

Lakshman accused the BJP of manipulating Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in four Assembly segments — Krishnaraja and Chamaraja in Mysuru, and Madikeri and Virajpet in Kodagu.

According to Lakshman, a total of 1,45,616 votes were cast in these four segments, of which the BJP secured 1,18,094 votes, while the Congress received only 27,522 votes. He presented detailed statistics to support his claims, calling the figures “highly suspicious.”

He further pointed out that in both the 2019 and 2023 elections, Congress had consistently garnered over 40 percent of the vote share in these areas. However, in 2024, the party’s vote share plummeted to 10 percent, while the BJP’s rose to 90 percent. Lakshman alleged that the BJP had manipulated votes wherever possible.

In the Narasimharaja Constituency, specifically at a booth in Shantinagar, Lakshman cited glaring discrepancies. Out of 700 registered voters, Congress reportedly secured 500 votes and the BJP 200. However, in 15 Congress-supporting households with multiple eligible voters, only 50 votes were recorded, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the process.

Stating that Mysuru’s case reflects a broader national pattern, Lakshman said, he would file a formal complaint with the Election Commission.