Kumaraswamy: Congress vote theft charge like Bhagavad Gita from demon's mouth
Synopsis
H.D. Kumaraswamy has turned Congress’s ‘vote theft’ protest on its head, alleging the party orchestrated the very electoral roll irregularities it now rails against — and suggesting the entire SIR row is a smokescreen to bury damaging NICE project allegations against Chief Minister Shivakumar. The Bhagavad Gita-from-a-demon’s-mouth jibe signals the Karnataka political battle is entering a new, sharper phase.
Key Takeaways
Kumaraswamy on 2 October accused Karnataka Congress of hypocrisy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral roll row.
He alleged Congress workers gathered people at marriage halls, community halls and residences to manipulate the revision process.
JD-S and the full NDA alliance had already filed complaints with the Election Commission of India over these alleged irregularities.
Kumaraswamy demanded police cases against Congress leaders for allegedly disrupting traffic during Chief Minister Shivakumar’s dharna .
He alleged the SIR issue was raised to divert attention from document-backed NICE project allegations against Shivakumar and his family.
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V.
Anbukumar directed EROs to act against applicants who filed knowingly false declarations in the electoral roll process.
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday, 2 October launched a sharp counterattack against the Congress government in Karnataka, accusing it of rank hypocrisy over its protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Kumaraswamy alleged that Congress workers had themselves orchestrated widespread irregularities during the early stages of the very same exercise.
The Bhagavad Gita Charge
In a strongly worded statement, Kumaraswamy called it “shameful” that the Congress party was now raising an alarm over SIR irregularities. He deployed a pointed metaphor: “Congress unnecessarily making a commotion over ‘vote theft’ is like the Bhagavad Gita coming from the mouth of a demon.” The remark encapsulates the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD-S)–BJP alliance’s broader argument that Congress is weaponising a process it allegedly manipulated.
What Kumaraswamy Alleged Congress Did
Kumaraswamy alleged that Congress workers had assembled large groups of people at marriage halls, community halls, and private residences during the electoral roll revision process to get rolls revised in their favour. “We have seen them gathering people in groups at marriage halls, community halls, houses and various other places and getting the electoral rolls revised,” he said. He added that JD-S had formally complained to the Election Commission of India (ECI), and that all NDA alliance leaders subsequently submitted a joint complaint as well.
Attack on Chief Minister Shivakumar
Kumaraswamy also criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Cabinet colleagues for staging a street protest instead of attending a scheduled Cabinet meeting. He demanded that police immediately register cases against Congress leaders who, he alleged, disrupted traffic and caused public inconvenience through the demonstration. He further alleged that the SIR issue was being weaponised by Shivakumar to deflect public attention from the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE) project controversy. “Three days earlier, I held a press conference on the NICE project and made allegations, supported by documents, against the Chief Minister and his family members regarding the alleged acquisition of project land in collusion with the company,” Kumaraswamy said. He alleged the SIR row was timed to bury that controversy. He also alleged that pressure from Congress leaders in Delhi had triggered the state-level protest: “They have started this drama after their leaders in Delhi put pressure on them.”
The Congress Protest and Electoral Officer’s Response
The political row follows Chief Minister Shivakumar’s dharna on Thursday at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bengaluru, where he demanded registration of a criminal case and a probe into the alleged conspiracy to delete eligible voters’ names through Form 7 applications. Following the protest, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across the state to act against applicants who knowingly filed false declarations while submitting claims and objections related to electoral rolls.
What Comes Next
With both the ruling Congress and the NDA opposition having lodged complaints with the Election Commission, and the Chief Electoral Officer having now directed action against false declarants, the dispute over Karnataka’s electoral rolls is likely to escalate in the weeks ahead. The NICE project allegations, which Kumaraswamy insists are document-backed, remain unaddressed by the state government and could resurface as a separate political flashpoint.
Point of View
Then add a diversion narrative. What makes this round sharper is the invocation of the NICE project — a long-running controversy with land-acquisition dimensions that the BJP-JD-S alliance has now formally linked to Shivakumar by name, with claimed documentary backing. The Congress’s choice to stage a street protest rather than table the issue in Cabinet gave Kumaraswamy an easy procedural target. The real question is whether the Election Commission, having now directed EROs to act against false declarants, will investigate complaints from both sides with equal rigour — or whether the process becomes another arena for partisan point-scoring ahead of local body elections.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update and cleanse electoral rolls, allowing additions and deletions of voters’ names. In Karnataka, the process became politically contentious after Congress alleged that eligible voters’ names were being deleted through Form 7 applications, prompting Chief Minister Shivakumar’s dharna at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
What did H.D. Kumaraswamy allege against the Congress in the SIR row?
Kumaraswamy alleged that Congress workers systematically gathered people at marriage halls, community halls, and private homes to manipulate the electoral roll revision in their favour during the SIR process. He said JD-S and the NDA alliance had already complained to the Election Commission about this before Congress began its current protests.
Why did Kumaraswamy accuse Shivakumar of using the SIR issue as a diversion?
Kumaraswamy held a press conference three days before the dharna in which he levelled document-backed allegations against Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his family over alleged land acquisition irregularities linked to the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE) project. He alleged that Shivakumar escalated the SIR controversy to shift public and media attention away from those allegations.
What action has the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer taken?
Following Chief Minister Shivakumar’s dharna, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across the state to initiate action against applicants who knowingly made false declarations while filing claims or objections related to electoral rolls.
What does the NDA alliance’s complaint to the Election Commission cover?
The NDA alliance, comprising JD-S and BJP leaders, submitted a complaint to the Election Commission alleging that Congress workers had organised group gatherings at marriage halls, community halls, and residences to influence the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Kumaraswamy said the government remained silent when the complaint was filed but is now raising the same issue of irregularities.
