Bengaluru: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Lahar Singh Siroya on Tuesday levelled a sensational allegation against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, claiming that former Congress leader and Union Minister CM Ibrahim has publicly admitted to purchasing 3,000 votes in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly election from the Badami constituency to ensure Siddaramaiah’s victory.
According to Siroya, Ibrahim, described as one of Siddaramaiah’s closest friends, advisors, and political strategists for decades, revealed that he and veteran Congress leader BB Chimankatti played a direct role in facilitating the purchase of the votes. Siroya alleged that Siddaramaiah himself financed the operation but delayed the payment by six months.
In the 2018 contest, Siddaramaiah’s victory margin in Badami was just 1,696 votes over BJP leader and then-minister B Sriramulu. The BJP MP pointed out that NOTA (None of the Above) polled 2,007 votes, a figure higher than the CM’s winning margin, underscoring, he said, how decisive the alleged vote-buying could have been.
Calling the revelation a shocking confession of gross electoral corruption from someone who has been both a lawmaker and a Union Minister, Siroya urged the Election Commission of India to take immediate cognisance of the claim and launch a full investigation. "This is not hearsay — it is a statement from a person who was deeply involved in Siddaramaiah’s campaign," he said.
Siroya further demanded that Ibrahim come clean on whether similar tactics were employed during Siddaramaiah’s narrow 257-vote victory in the 2006 Chamundeshwari byelection, his first election after joining Congress. "Congress was in power at the Centre then. Were votes purchased in that election too? Which officers conducted the poll? The people deserve to know," he said.
The BJP MP also linked the controversy to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Bengaluru, during which he accused the BJP of manipulating electoral rolls. Siroya argued that Rahul Gandhi had inadvertently "opened a can of worms" that could damage his own party more than the opposition. "Rahul Gandhi is known for scoring self-goals, and this could be his biggest yet," Siroya remarked.
He cited the recent sacking of Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna — reportedly for contradicting Rahul Gandhi — as evidence of growing instability in the Congress government. "This is the beginning of Congress' fall in Karnataka," Siroya predicted.
Shri. CM Ibrahim, former union minister, one of Shri. @siddaramaiah's closest associates and advisors for decades, has made a shocking revelation. He has said that he, along with senior Congress leader Shri. BB Chimankatti, helped purchase 3000 votes in 2018, so that Shri… pic.twitter.com/DxmyUhJzUF
Siroya also suggested that Sriramulu, who had contested from both Badami and Molakalmuru in 2018, might possess further information about the alleged vote-buying. "Had this illegal transaction not taken place, Sriramulu could have won both seats," he claimed.
