Sowmya lost Bangalore South to EVM hacking, alleges Siddaramaiah

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah claimed that former Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy lost the Bangalore South Lok Sabha to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya due to hacking of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He made the comments during the official swearing-in ceremony of Reddy as the Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress president at the Bharat Jodo Hall in Bengaluru on Thursday. She had been named to the position back in August. “You all know Sowmya Reddy. She served as an MLA. She was also a candidate in the recent Lok Sabha election. I thought Sowmya Reddy would win when I was campaigning for her. I don’t know why she lost. I think they must have manipulated and hacked the EVMs,” Siddaramaiah said. Incumbent Tejasvi Surya had defeated Sowmya Reddy by 3,31,192 votes in the Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat. Sowmya said she was happy to be taking charge as KPMC chief.

“Our struggle to secure economic, social and political rights for women will continue. In 1984, Indira Gandhi founded Mahila Congress in Bengaluru. I am fortunate to take charge as (Karnataka) Mahila Congress president 40 years later,” she said, adding that the five guarantees, especially Gruha Lakshmi (Rs 2,000 monthly allowance for women) and Shakti had benefited the fairer sex greatly