Fadnavis Says Congress Preparing Narrative for Its Imminent Delhi Poll Rout
Rahul Gandhi should introspect instead of blaming EC for his party’s defeat, says Fadnavis
Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of irregularities in Maharashtra electoral rolls. Mr. Fadnavis termed it as a “cover firing” by the Congress leader to create a narrative ahead of his party’s imminent defeat in the Delhi assembly polls.
In a joint press conference held in Delhi along with NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Mr. Gandhi insinuated that bogus voters were added to the Maharashtra electoral rolls before the state Assembly election last year. He claimed that the total number of voters added in Maharashtra in five months between the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections was equivalent to the population of a state like Himachal Pradesh, and urged the Election Commission to provide the Opposition parties list of voters, their photos and come clean on the issue.
Responding to the Congress leader’s allegations, Maharashtra chief minister posted on his X handle, “When the same joke is told over and over again, people do not laugh at it.”
Mr. Fadnavis said Mr. Gandhi should introspect instead of blaming EC for his party’s defeat, otherwise there will be no revival of the Congress. “The Election Commission has categorically replied to all the questions. Rahul Gandhi is doing a cover fire as he knows that after the February 8, Delhi Election results, his party will be nowhere in Delhi. He is preparing ground for what he will speak on that day and how he will create a new narrative. If Rahul Gandhi does not introspect and will continue to console himself with lies, his party’s revival is not possible,” he said.
The ‘Mahayuti’ alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP returned to power in Maharashtra by winning 235 out of 288 assembly seats. The ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ comprising Congress, Shiv Sena(UBT) and NCP (SP) won only 49 seats. The Mahayuti victory came months after the MVA defeated the BJP-led alliance in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
The Election Commission in a statement said that it would respond in writing to points raised by Mr. Gandhi with full factual and procedural matrix uniformly adopted across the country.
An official from the state government said that the issues raised by Mr. Gandhi were not backed by the available election data. The Congress leader pointed out that in the five years between the state Assembly election in 2019 and Lok Sabha election in 2024, the number of electors increased by 32 lakh. However, 39 lakh voters were added in five months after the Lok Sabha election.
The official said the increase in the number of electors was also not unusual. There were 7,92,49,862 registered voters before the 2014 Lok Sabha election, which increased by 42 lakh before the 2014 state Assembly election. Between 2014 state assembly election and 2019 state assembly election, the number of electors increased by 63 lakh. From 2019 to 2024 assembly elections, the number of electors increased by 72 lakh. We also have to consider that there were no elections in the state due to Covid and other reasons. Usually, new voters register a few months before the election. Out of 39 lakh voters registered after the 2024 Lok Sabha election, 26 lakh were first time voters,” the official said.
Mr. Gandhi also claimed that the number of votes received by the MVA constituents did not reduce from Lok Sabha to state Assembly elections. However, the data published by the election commission shows that the MVA received 60 lakh less votes in the state Assembly election than the Lok Sabha election.