Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi (L) & Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis (R) | File Pics
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis strongly reacted to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations regarding a 39 lakh voter increase in the state during the recent Assembly elections. Fadnavis dismissed Gandhi’s claims, stating that the Congress leader was attempting to divert attention from his party’s anticipated defeat in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections.
“Congress is set to lose in Delhi, so Rahul Gandhi is trying to cover up by questioning Maharashtra’s election results,” Fadnavis said. He further added that the Election Commission had already provided a clarification on the voter increase, but the Congress party refused to introspect on its own failures.
“There is no need to respond to his allegations. The Congress party will be wiped out after the Delhi election results, and Rahul Gandhi is merely preparing statements for that day,” Fadnavis asserted.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi claimed that there had been an unusual surge of 39 lakh voters in Maharashtra between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly elections, a gap of just five months. He alleged that this increase was comparable to the total voter enrollment over the last five years and that the Election Commission had recorded a number of voters exceeding Maharashtra’s actual eligible voting population.
State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule also criticized Gandhi, stating that Congress was still recovering from its defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. “Rahul Gandhi is raising baseless suspicions about the voter list despite the Election Commission’s clarification. Congress is unwilling to accept that the people have rejected them,” Bawankule remarked.
Bawankule further alleged that even NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule had previously acknowledged winning elections through EVMs and rejected any claims of foul play. “Rahul Gandhi is creating unnecessary drama. He will never accept the truth,” Bawankule added.
The Election Commission has yet to respond to the fresh allegations, but political tensions continue to rise as parties gear up for the Delhi Assembly elections.
