SC issues notice to Siddaramaiah over alleged election ‘corrupt practices’

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah , seeking his response to a plea challenging his election from the Varuna Assembly constituency in the 2023 state elections.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed Siddaramaiah to reply to the petition filed by K. Shankara , a local voter and former gram panchayat member from Varuna constituency. Shankara has previously served as president of the Basaveshwara Yuvaka Sangha , a youth organization in his area.

Shankara’s petition specifically points to the five guarantees promised by Siddaramaiah and the Congress party in their 2023 election manifesto . These included free electricity for all households, free food grains for eligible families, financial support to women heads of households, unemployment aid for youth, and free bus travel for women. The petitioner claims that since the manifesto carried Siddaramaiah’s photo and had his consent, the promises amounted to “undue influence” and bribery under the law, arguing that such guarantees could sway voters improperly. Critics of the CM’s election have echoed this concern, suggesting that these promises may have given the ruling party an unfair advantage.

The petitioner has approached the apex court after the Karnataka High Court dismissed his earlier plea , filed in April 2025, which sought to declare Siddaramaiah’s election void . Shankara alleged that the CM had indulged in corrupt practices under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 .

The Supreme Court will now examine Siddaramaiah’s reply before deciding on the next course of action in the case.