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Rahul Gandhi ignited a political row after he claimed that a systematic method was used to influence the Maharashtra election outcome in favour of BJP.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi. (File)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday took a subtle yet sharp rebuke at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he claimed “match-fixing” in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections saying that Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha has made the same mistake throughout his entire life.
While speaking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis took a poetic jibe at Gandhi and said, “Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe (Throughout your life, Rahul Gandhi, you have always made the same mistake; The dust was on your face, but you kept cleaning the mirror).”
#WATCH | Pune | Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says, “‘Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe’ (Throughout your life, Rahul Gandhi, you have always made the same mistake; The dust was on your face, but you… pic.twitter.com/PCg0Dwi6qS— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2025
Earlier today, he called the allegations “nonsense,” a “lie,” and “an insult to voters.”
In an article written for a Marathi daily, Fadnavis said the “one whom the public rejects, rejects the mandate.”
“If you cannot convince people, then confuse them. This is the policy that Rahul Gandhi is adopting,” Fadnavis said.
He further said the Congress has been rejected by the people, which is why they are now tarnishing the image of democracy by blaming the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).
“It has now become a habit for the opposition parties to raise questions on the EVM in every election in Maharashtra. All petitions against the EVM have been dismissed by the Supreme Court,” he added.
Fadnavis also said that Gandhi is a leader “who cannot accept failure”. “Are EVMs right in the elections in which the Congress government wins?” he asked.
“Respect the mandate. The public is watching everyone. Now, excuses will not work, and the accountability will be fixed,” he concluded.
What Rahul Gandhi Claimed?
Rahul Gandhi ignited a political row after he claimed that a systematic method was used to influence the Maharashtra election outcome in favour of BJP.
In a post on X, the grand-old party leader summarised the key points of an article he wrote for The Indian Express, where he described the so-called electoral manipulation.
In his article, Gandhi outlined a five-step process he claimed was used to tilt the Maharashtra election.
“Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll Step 3: Inflate voter turnout Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win Step 5: Hide the evidence,” the Leader of Opposition wrote in his post.
“It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra,” Gandhi wrote in his post. “But rigging is like match-fixing – the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result.”
“All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers,” Gandhi added.
He also warned that what happened in Maharashtra could be repeated elsewhere. “The match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing,” he said, calling match-fixed elections are a “poison” for any democracy.
ECI’s Rebuttal
The ECI responded to the Lok Sabha LoP’s allegations with a point wise rebuttal, stating that “facts are completely being ignored.”
“Unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law. The Election Commission had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on 24th December 2024 itself, which is available on ECI’s website. It appears that all these facts are being completely ignored while raising such issues again and again,” the ECI said.
Maharashtra Elections
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance had scored a massive and astonishing victory over Maha Vikas Aghadi in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. The unprecedented electoral sweep is a record win as no alliance has ever crossed the magic mark of 200 seats in the Maharashtra polls.
The ruling Mahayuti had won 234 of the 288 seats in the Maharashtra elections, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party, winning 132 seats on its own.
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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