BP Yatnal: I am convinced that Muslims are fake voters

“I am convinced that it is the Muslims and not the Hindus who are the fake voters. I have seen several Muslim men and women wearing the burqa and voting multiple times. That is why we have objected to their inclusion in the electoral rolls in Vijayapur,” Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, an expelled BJP MLA, said in Davangere on Sunday.

He told reporters that he had witnessed several cases of fake voting by Muslims, but never by Hindus. “They have been helping the Congress with their fake votes and fake voting for decades. It is happening all over the country. It is no secret. Now that the Election Commission of India headed by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is trying to clean the voter rolls and this has upset the Congress leaders,” he said.

“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi goes around calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi an ‘election chorus’. I’ll tell you who the real ‘election chorus’ was. It was Jawaharlal Nehru. He brought his party to power through election offenses like fake voting and booth occupation,” Mr Yatnal said.

“Mr. Gyanesh Kumar is a great officer. It is because of his tireless efforts during SIR that ensured that West Bengal is part of India today. Otherwise it would have become part of Bangladesh. Complaints against him are meaningless. He is in a constitutional position. To criticize him without proper reasons is tantamount to insulting the constitution,” he said.

Reacting to the Kerala government’s reopening of the investigation against Mr. Gyanesh Kumar, Mr. Yatnal said that it was not an important matter. “There are charges against every officer. Who doesn’t face charges during their service? Nothing. There is an allegation that Rahul Gandhi sexually assaulted a Dalit woman in Amethi. Will they reopen the investigation? There are idol theft charges against some members of Sonia Gandhi’s family. Will they reopen the investigation?” he said.

Published – 04 Oct 2026 20:56 IST