Rahul’s fresh ‘vote chori’ charge sparks clash between Oppn and ruling parties, Congress demands Fadnavis’ resignation

New Delhi: Fresh allegations by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi regarding irregularities in electoral rolls—particularly in a Maharashtra constituency—set off a sharp political tussle on Thursday between the ruling parties and the Opposition. The Congress, supported by NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while also questioning the integrity of the Election Commission of India (ECI). Rahul Gandhi alleged that voter manipulation was taking place in the Rajura assembly seat of Chandrapur district through automated software. Citing similar discrepancies in a Karnataka constituency, he accused Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of shielding those “destroying democracy.” The Congress argued that these revelations showed systematic deletion of its supporters’ names from the rolls, and insisted CM Fadnavis had lost the moral right to continue in office.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto described Gandhi’s claims as “serious,” warning that they undermine public trust in the ECI. In a post on X, Crasto questioned how voter IDs could be tampered with, whether the ECI portal was vulnerable to hacking, or if insiders were complicit. He urged the poll body to conduct an independent probe and present the facts to the public. Shiv Sena (UBT) echoed this demand, with spokesperson Harshal Pradhan praising Gandhi for “exposing the BJP’s real face,” and asserting that the ruling party was unsettled by the charges. At a press briefing in Thane, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged that 6,850 votes were fraudulently altered in Rajura. He noted that even state police—under the home department headed by Fadnavis—had registered an FIR on the matter. Sapkal claimed this confirmed that democracy was being “sabotaged” in Maharashtra, insisting that the ruling Mahayuti alliance should step down. He further accused the ECI of bias and said the CEC was acting more like a political leader than a neutral authority. The ruling side, however, strongly rejected these charges. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as “baseless,” pointing out that voter list errors were common even during Congress governments. He accused Gandhi of inconsistency, saying at times he spoke of additions to lists, and at other times about deletions. BJP leaders also hit back. Party spokesperson Keshav Upadhye branded Gandhi the “badshah of vote theft,” demanding an apology for repeatedly discrediting the election process. He argued that allegations alone held no weight and should instead be tested legally within the constitutional framework. Upadhye also recalled earlier irregularities, claiming that several voters in Maharashtra had falsely registered using former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s address.

He further highlighted that when the draft electoral rolls were published in Bihar on August 1, political parties were given a week to raise objections. Yet, according to him, no party—including the Congress—filed complaints during that period. He alleged that the Opposition was raising the issue belatedly to create “chaos and instability.” Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar-led NCP also distanced itself from the Opposition’s stance. The party’s Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare ridiculed Gandhi’s remarks as “childish,” arguing that he lacked a proper understanding of booth-level election procedures. Speaking in Nagpur, Tatkare claimed the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies were levelling “vote theft” allegations only because they could not accept their “massive defeat” in the November 2024 state polls. According to Tatkare, voters were discerning enough to see through what he called a false narrative, and Gandhi’s claims were nothing more than a reaction to electoral setbacks.