Weeks after being dropped from the Karnataka Cabinet, former minister and Madhugiri MLA KN Rajanna has reached out to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to clarify the "Vote Chori" remarks that led to his exit. In a letter dated November 17, which only surfaced this Tuesday, Rajanna sought a personal meeting to explain his side of the story, claiming his statements were distorted by internal rivals. The MLA was sacked from the Siddaramaiah-led government on August 11 after he publicly alleged that "vote theft" occurred "right in front of our eyes" during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. These comments proved particularly embarrassing for the party, as they were made shortly after Rahul Gandhi had levelled similar accusations against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government.
In his appeal, Rajanna insisted that his intentions were misunderstood and that he remains a staunch supporter of the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family. He pointed out that he had actively participated in Rahul Gandhi’s own "Vote Chori" campaign in Bengaluru, suggesting that his local observations were meant to bolster that national narrative, not undermine it. However, the letter also contained sharp criticism of the state party leadership. He specifically blamed said that the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) leadership, including President and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, had not paid enough attention to these organisational lapses.
To illustrate his point, Rajanna highlighted the Mahadevapura segment of the Bengaluru Central constituency, where he alleged the presence of over one lakh bogus voters. In Rajanna’s view, this shift would have been enough to prevent Narendra Modi from returning as Prime Minister and would have instead seen Rahul Gandhi take the oath of office.
By attaching a translated transcript of the controversial media interview to his letter, the MLA hoped to prove that his goal was to expose structural weaknesses rather than challenge the party's authority. While the letter has now entered the public domain, there has been no official word yet on whether Rahul Gandhi has granted the requested appointment.
Also read: Rally against 'vote chori' to protect citizen's right: Shivakumar
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