Siddaramaiah claims he lost Lok Sabha election due to fraud
What's the story
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has alleged that he lost the 1991 Lok Sabha elections due to "vote fraud." He made the claim while addressing an event in Bengaluru on August 28, where he was honoring Ravi Varma Kumar for completing 50 years as a lawyer. In his speech, Siddaramaiah recalled how Kumar represented him pro bono after his defeat in the Koppal constituency.
Election details
Siddaramaiah contested from Koppal in 1991
In the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, Siddaramaiah contested from Koppal as a Janata Dal candidate but lost to Congress's Anwari Basavaraj Patil by 11,197 votes. Patil secured 2,41,176 votes (42% vote share) while Siddaramaiah got 2,29,979 votes (40% vote share). The BJP's Achyut Devaraya came third with 48,670 votes (8.5% vote share).
Fraud claims
Patil was disqualified from Janata Dal before 1991 polls
Siddaramaiah alleged that the Returning Officer wrongly declared Patil as the winner by rejecting 22,243 votes. He claimed these rejected votes would have changed the outcome in his favor. Patil had been disqualified from the Janata Dal for defecting to the Samajwadi Janata Party before joining Congress ahead of the 1991 polls.
Legal verdict
Siddaramaiah's election petition dismissed by Karnataka High Court
Siddaramaiah's election petition was dismissed by the Karnataka High Court. The court ruled that there is no permanent disqualification under Article 102 or the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution for being chosen as a Member if disqualified under the same schedule. It also ruled that Assistant Returning Officers weren't required to have written authority from the Returning Officer for counting votes, dismissing Siddaramaiah's arguments about improper counting and invalid ballots.
Political fallout
BJP seizes on Siddaramaiah's comments to attack Congress
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized on Siddaramaiah's comments to attack Congress's "vote theft" campaign. Senior Karnataka BJP leader R Ashok pointed out the irony in Siddaramaiah joining Rahul Gandhi's "Voter Adhikar Yatra" in Bihar while alleging past vote rigging by Congress. The BJP has demanded an explanation from Congress over these remarks.