“Mandate Rejected Rahul, Now Rahul Rejects Mandate”: CM Devendra Fadnavis Hits Back at Gandhi’s Rigging Claims

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday launched a scathing counter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations of electoral fraud in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, accusing the Congress leader of rejecting the people’s mandate after being rejected by them.

Fadnavis, in articles published in The Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta, stated, “The people have rejected Rahul Gandhi, and in retaliation, he is rejecting the people and their mandate.” He further accused Gandhi of “insulting” the democratic process and preparing excuses for future losses, including in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.

Gandhi, in a detailed article published across several newspapers and social media posts, had claimed the 2024 Maharashtra polls were a “blueprint for rigging democracy.” In a step-by-step outline, he alleged fake voters were added, bogus voting facilitated, turnout inflated, and evidence hidden. He warned this “match-fixing” would next be seen in Bihar.

Rejecting these claims, Fadnavis questioned Gandhi’s grasp on democratic norms. “It would be more prudent to accept defeat for once and introspect on where you are going wrong, where your connection with the people is lacking, and what you should do about it,” he said.

The BJP leader stressed that the Election Commission had firmly rejected Gandhi’s charges, calling the allegations “absurd.”

Fadnavis pointed to the Mahayuti’s thumping win in Maharashtra — an alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP — over the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT, and NCP-SP), asserting that the real battle was not between two alliances, but “between Bharat Jodo and Bharat Todo.”

He alleged, “What was this ‘todo’ (break) campaign, established under the name of ‘jodo’ (unite), doing? It was creating misconceptions among the public against all of the country’s constitutional institutions.”

On the matter of voter rolls, Fadnavis said Gandhi’s claims were misleading. “Between 2014 and 2019, 63 lakh new voters were added; from 2009 to 2014, 75 lakh; from 2004 to 2009, 1 crore. So, nothing extraordinary happened in 2024,” he said.

He also refuted allegations of suspicious voter turnout, explaining, “In 2004, the assembly turnout was 5% higher than the Lok Sabha turnout. In 2009, it was 4% more; 2014, 3%; 2019, 1%; and in 2024, again 4%. So again, nothing new happened.”

Fadnavis mocked Gandhi’s claim of suspicious voting patterns in Kamthi, citing constituencies like Madha (18% jump, NCP-SP win), Wani (13%, Shiv Sena-UBT win), and Shrirampur (12%, Congress win) to argue that a late surge in turnout wasn’t exclusive to BJP victories.

“The claim that the NDA won where the voter percentage increased at the last moment is even more laughable,” he said, further adding, “Is Rahul Gandhi unaware that 5 pm to 6 pm is also polling time, and all voters in line by 6 pm are allowed to vote?”

On the Election Commission’s independence, Fadnavis said Gandhi failed to mention that Congress itself had appointed 25 of 26 Chief Election Commissioners directly before a new selection law introduced by PM Modi included the opposition in the selection process for the first time.