In Karnataka seat where ‘vote chori’ claims first surfaced, over 800 voter IDs linked to 397 names after SIR

The special intensive revision, or SIR, was meant to clean Karnataka’s electoral rolls, including removing duplicate entries. Yet Mahadevapura’s final rolls still showed extensive duplication. The Hindu found 803 voter IDs connected to only 397 people. This matters because accurate rolls are central to confidence in elections.

The duplication appeared in several forms. Some voters had the same Elector’s Photo Identity Card, or EPIC, number in different constituencies. Others had multiple EPIC IDs within Mahadevapura. Santosh Kumar, 63, had five IDs, while his daughter Kriti had two. Their names, ages, addresses, and family details matched across entries.

The Hindu found more than 500 cases involving two or more IDs within a polling station. In 300 other cases, the same person had multiple IDs across different polling stations in Mahadevapura. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office said it had received no formal complaints, but it was monitoring reports and would verify the cases.

The central scale finding was that 803 voter IDs in Mahadevapura were linked to just 397 people after the SIR exercise. This does not mean 803 votes were cast, but it shows that the rolls contained many apparent duplicate identity records. Such entries can make electoral records harder to verify and maintain.

The article identifies more than 500 cases where the same person had two or more voter IDs within a polling station. In another 300 cases, the same person had multiple IDs across different polling stations in the constituency. Seven people were also found holding more than three voter IDs each. Santosh Kumar had five, and his daughter Kriti had two.

The figures describe entries found in the final rolls, not proven fraudulent voting. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office said it had received no formal complaints about duplicate entries. It said complaints raised on social media and by political parties were being monitored, and the cases would be verified.

EPIC stands for Elector’s Photo Identity Card, and an EPIC number is the identifying number printed on that voter ID. In a properly maintained roll, the number should help distinguish one voter record from another. The article found cases where the same number appeared against entries in different constituencies.

For example, Madhumita appeared in Mahadevapura and Hebbal with the same EPIC number. Her father’s name and age also matched in both entries. Chaitra similarly appeared in Mahadevapura and Dasarahalli with the same number. The Hindu found at least seven such cases, producing 14 entries across the final rolls.

The article does not establish how these repeated numbers were created or whether votes were cast using them. It reports that the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer would verify the cases. The repeated number could reflect a record or issuance problem, but its exact cause remains unresolved in the report.

A duplicate voter entry means the rolls contain more than one record apparently connected to the same person. The article documents this through matching names, ages, addresses, relatives, and EPIC numbers. Such duplication can arise from administrative or record-keeping problems, but the reported findings alone do not establish deliberate fraud.

The separate “vote chori” controversy involves Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that more than one lakh fake or stolen votes were systematically engineered in Mahadevapura to influence the 2024 Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha election. The article presents that as an allegation. It also reports repeated entries, such as Santosh Kumar’s five IDs, but does not say those IDs were used to cast votes.

The distinction matters. Evidence of duplicate records shows a roll-integrity problem requiring checking. It is not, by itself, proof that fake voters were created deliberately or that an election result was changed. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office said the reported cases would be verified.

A special intensive revision, or SIR, is a focused exercise to check and update electoral rolls. In this article, one stated aim was to weed out duplicate entries. Such a review matters because electoral rolls need current, accurate records of eligible voters, without repeated or outdated entries.

The Mahadevapura results show the practical challenge. After the SIR, The Hindu found 803 voter IDs linked to 397 people. It also found identical EPIC numbers in different constituencies and multiple IDs held by individuals within the constituency. Santosh Kumar had five IDs, while more than 500 cases involved multiple IDs within polling stations.

The findings do not show that every repeated entry was deliberate or used for voting. They show that records still need checking after the revision. The CEO’s office said it was monitoring complaints from social media and political parties. It said the cases would be verified, although it had received no formal complaints about duplicate entries.

If duplicate or ineligible entries remain, an election can face administrative confusion and reduced public confidence. In the worst case, repeated records could create opportunities for someone to attempt voting more than once or impersonate another voter. They could also become part of disputes over an election’s fairness.

The Mahadevapura findings concern voter-roll records, not confirmed ballots. The Hindu found 803 IDs linked to 397 people, including Santosh Kumar’s five IDs and hundreds of other multiple-ID cases. Rahul Gandhi separately alleged that more than one lakh fake or stolen votes were engineered, but the article does not report proof that the duplicate IDs were used to cast votes.

Therefore, one voter ID does not automatically mean one vote was cast. An ID is a record or document connected to a voter entry. Whether a person voted more than once, or affected an election result would require separate evidence. The CEO’s office said the cases would be verified.

The article identifies the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, or CEO, as the authority handling the reported duplicate entries. It said the office was monitoring complaints flagged on social media and by political parties. It also said the cases would be verified, which is necessary before deciding whether records should be corrected.

The findings requiring review include identical EPIC numbers across constituencies and multiple IDs held by the same people. Madhumita appeared in Mahadevapura and Hebbal with the same EPIC number. Santosh Kumar had five IDs in Mahadevapura. These examples show why officials need to compare names, ages, addresses, relatives, and application records.

The CEO’s office said it had received no formal complaints about duplicate entries at the time of reporting. That does not resolve the cases identified by The Hindu. The next stated step is verification. The article does not provide a final decision, corrective action, or finding of deliberate wrongdoing.