Karnataka Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna Resigns After Remarks On Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Vote Theft’ Row News24 –
In a shocking development, Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna has stepped down as Cooperation Minister on Monday afternoon. The move comes after his public claim that “vote theft” occurred during the Congress government’s tenure in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Rajanna’s controversial statement came in the back drop of Rahul Gandhi’s ‘vote theft’ accusations on BJP.
Various reports suggests that the Congress high command had instructed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to sack Rajanna from the Cabinet after his comments sparked a political row. His resignation was handed over by his son Rajendra, an MLC to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
A staunch ally of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Rajanna, challenged the Congress party’s position on alleged electoral roll tampering, making statements that clashed with the party’s official stance on “vote theft” and caused embarrassment to the Congress leadership. On August 8, 2025, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led a protest against “vote theft” in Bengaluru.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi recently addressed a press conference in Delhi, presenting evidence of alleged vote theft by the Election Commission in favour of the BJP during multiple state assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
On Friday, during a rally in Bengaluru, Rahul Gandhi repeated his accusation of “vote theft.” He claimed there was “collusion” between the Election Commission of India and the BJP, which allowed the creation of over one lakh (100,000) fake votes in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of the Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency during the 2024 elections, to ensure the BJP’s victory.
What Did Rajanna Say?
On Saturday, Rajanna had, talking to reporters in Tumkuru, asked why Congress leaders “turned a blind eye” to irregularities in voter lists and kept silent when they should have raised objections.
He said, “Look, if we just start talking about such things casually, there will be different opinions. When was the voter list prepared? It was prepared when our own government was in power. At that time, was everyone just sitting quietly with eyes closed? These irregularities did take place — that’s the truth. There is nothing false in this.”
Admitting that the irregularities happened openly, he said, “These irregularities happened right in front of our eyes — we should feel ashamed. We didn’t take care of it at the time. That’s why we must be alert in the future.”
“In Mahadevapura, there was indeed fraud. One person was registered in three different places and voted in all three. But when the draft electoral rolls are being prepared, we have to monitor it, right?…When the draft electoral rolls are made, we must file objections — that is our responsibility. At that time, we kept quiet and now we are talking,” Rajanna said.
DK Shivakumar On Rajanna
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar dismissed claims by Rajanna. “Mr KN Rajanna is totally at fault. He doesn’t know. My Chief Minister and my party high command will reply to that,” Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru today.
Shivakumar further said that the poll body should reply to the objections raised by Gandhi, “Whatever documents the Election Commission is asking, we are not schoolboys to reply whatever they ask. They are supposed to give us. He has given a representation and they know whatever is wrong. We have asked for some information and records. We have asked officially. I myself went to Election Commission. At no point of time my leader will take oath or answer to it. He has answered already in public.”
Meanhwhile, Rajanna’s son and Congress leader Rajendra Rajanna reacting to the resignation said, “I don’t know what happened.”