'39 lakh voters in 5 months': Rahul Gandhi vs Devendra Fadnavis over Maharashtra polls ‘anomaly’
Rahul Gandhi alleged a huge number of voters had been "suddenly created in Maharashtra".
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged discrepancies in last year's Maharashtra assembly election, claiming over 39 lakh voters were added to the state's electoral rolls within a short span of five months. He claimed the total number of voters added to Maharashtra's list was more than the total strength of Himachal Pradesh's electorate.
Rahul Gandhi alleged a huge number of voters had been "suddenly created in Maharashtra" and asked the Election Commission to furnish the voters list.
"In 5 years between the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2019 and Lok Sabha, 2024 -- 32 lakh voters were added. However, in 5 months between Lok Sabha 2024 which these parties (Congress, NCP-SCP, Shiv Sena (UBT)) won and Vidhan Sabha elections -- 39 lakh voters were added. The question is, who are these 39 lakh voters? That is equivalent to the total number of voters of Himachal Pradesh. The second point is, why are there more voters in Maharashtra than the entire voting population of the state?... Somehow, the voters have been suddenly created in Maharashtra," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Rahul Gandhi said the Congress-Shiv Sena (UBT)-NCP(SCP) alliance found several irregularities in the polls.
"We represent on this table - the entire opposition that fought the last election in Maharashtra. We are going to bring some information about the election. We studied the details - the voters and the voting list. Our teams have been working, and we have found many irregularities," he added.
He claimed the alliance had been telling the Election Commission about anomalies in the Maharashtra election. "We need voters' lists of LS polls, assembly elections," he added.
Devendra Fadnavis reacts
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegation.
"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 and hence, what he will speak on that day, how he will create a new narrative, he is practising for the same. If Rahul Gandhi does not introspect and will continue to console himself with lies - his party's revival isn't possible. Rahul Gandhi should introspect his defeat," he said.
The ruling NDA alliance of BJP, Sena (Shinde camp) and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) put up its best-ever performance in Maharashtra winning 235 of the 288 assembly seats and restricting the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance to a low score of 49 seats. The victory came months after the Opposition camp defeated the BJP-led alliance in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.
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