A former BJP MLA is among seven persons named in a chargesheet in the vote theft case in Karnataka during the 2023 assembly elections. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed the chargesheet, spanning over 20,000 pages, before the First Additional Chief Metropolitan in Bengaluru into the charges of alleged efforts to remove the names of 5,994 voters in the Aland Assembly constituency.
Those named in the chargesheet include Subhash Guttedar, a former four-time MLA from Aland; his son Harshanand Guttedar; his personal secretary Tipperudra; three operators of a data centre in Kalaburagi, Akram Pasha, Mukaram Pasha, and Mohammed Ashfaq; and a youth from West Bengal, Bapi Adya.
Adya, who had allegedly provided an OTP bypass facility to access the Election Commission's online services, was the first person to be arrested in the case but was released on bail.
A court had earlier granted pre-arrest bail to Guttedar, his son, and his personal secretary, reports suggest. The MLA's son has denied the charges against him and his father, claiming that they have been framed in a false case.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had in September targeted the BJP and the Election Commission with the "massive deletion of voters" claim in the Aland constituency. The Election Commission had termed Gandhi's allegations "incorrect" and asserted that no deletion of any vote can be done online and without giving an opportunity to be heard to the affected person.
Commenting on the chargesheet, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, "It is the fact. Nothing is hidden here. MLAs want to discuss this on Wednesday in the assembly. We will have a legal vote bank as Rahul suggested."
His state cabinet colleague Priyank Kharge demanded an answer from the BJP on a former MLA of the party being named in the chargesheet. "When we filed a complaint, they were brushing it. But now the investigation itself is speaking about it. BJP should answer now on why their candidates are involved in such fraudulent acts," he said.
Union minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi said anyone can file an FIR, but the court will eventually decide.
