BJP MP Alleges Vote Buying in Karnataka's Badami Constituency

Allegations of Electoral Corruption

A Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) representing Karnataka has formally approached the Election Commission, claiming that certain Congress leaders engaged in vote buying during the 2018 state elections in the Badami Assembly constituency to ensure Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's victory.

In a letter submitted on Tuesday, BJP's Lahar Singh Siroya referenced a speech by former Union minister CM Ibrahim, who allegedly stated that he and Congress leader BB Chimankatti facilitated the purchase of 3,000 votes to aid Siddaramaiah in narrowly winning the Assembly election from Badami.

This assertion was reportedly made by Ibrahim during an event in Mysuru on August 8.

Having previously been a close associate of Siddaramaiah, Ibrahim switched allegiance from Congress to the Janata Dal (Secular) in 2022 but was suspended from the party in 2023.

During the 2018 elections, Siddaramaiah contested from both Chamundeshwari and Badami, winning the latter against BJP's B Sriramulu by a slim margin of 1,696 votes, while he lost in Chamundeshwari.

Siroya mentioned that a recording of Ibrahim's speech includes a direct claim about the vote buying.

He called on Ibrahim to clarify the methods used for the alleged vote purchasing.

“He has also claimed that Siddaramaiah financed this purchase, but it took six months for the payment to be made,” Siroya noted.

The BJP representative urged the Election Commission to investigate this serious allegation of electoral misconduct.

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

— Lahar Singh Siroya (@LaharSingh_MP) August 12, 2025

In response to Ibrahim's comments, Siddaramaiah stated that he only visited Badami twice during the 2018 campaign and was “not aware” of any such activities, as reported by a news outlet.

The allegations from the BJP leader surfaced shortly after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that his party had spent six months reviewing the electoral rolls in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Bengaluru Central and discovered discrepancies involving over one lakh names.

Gandhi suggested that this indicated a collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP.

In a social media update, Siroya expressed gratitude for Gandhi's recent visit to Bengaluru, asserting that it ultimately destabilized his own government.

“His party members, including his Chief Minister, are more affected than anyone else,” Siroya remarked.