Karnataka Minister KN Rajanna Dismissed After Disagreement with Rahul Gandhi’s Stance on Voter Fraud

Karnataka’s Cooperation Minister, KN Rajanna, was removed from his position following his questioning of his own party’s silence regarding irregularities in the voter list. This occurred after he submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which was subsequently accepted by Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot. Rajanna had voiced concerns about the handling of voter list discrepancies in the Mahadevapura constituency, differing with Rahul Gandhi’s accusations of vote theft by the central government. Specifically, Rajanna pointed out that the irregularities occurred during the Congress government’s tenure and that the party had not raised any objections at the time. This statement contradicted the current stance of the Congress party, drawing strong criticism from Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Following Rajanna’s remarks, political repercussions ensued, leading to the belief that the Congress high command directed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to dismiss Rajanna from the cabinet. Prior to this, Rahul Gandhi had accused the BJP government of vote theft, using the Mahadevapura constituency in Bengaluru Central as an example, where he claimed over 100,000 fake voters were listed. Rajanna’s response questioned why the party had remained silent when the voter list revisions were made during their own government’s time, expressing embarrassment that these issues occurred under their watch without proper oversight. KN Rajanna, a seasoned leader and close associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, held the position of Cooperation Minister in the Karnataka government. Born on April 13, 1951, in Tumkur Taluk, Karnataka, he holds BSc and LLB degrees. He has been actively involved in the cooperative movement since 1972. Rajanna first became a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council in 1998. He later became an MLA from the Madhugiri seat, winning elections in 2013 and 2023. He faced defeats in the 2008 and 2018 assembly elections. He has served as a director of the Cooperative Apex Bank Limited and the Cooperative Central Bank, and was also the president of the town panchayat in Kyathasandra and a member of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee in Tumkur.