Fadnavis slams Rahul over voter list claim, counters with numbers from 25 constituencies

Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations regarding voter list manipulation in the state, asking the latter to first speak to his party's elected MLAs before "shooting arrows blindly".

In a post on X, Fadnavis used a Hindi proverb to mock Gandhi's claims and cited specific constituencies to counter the charge of discrepancies in the voter list.

"Jhooth bole kauwa kaate, kaale kauwe se dariyo'... Rahul Gandhi, I understand the sting of your humiliating defeat in Maharashtra is intensifying by the day. But how long will you keep shooting arrows blindly?" Fadnavis wrote on X.

The chief minister pointed out that more than 25 constituencies in Maharashtra saw more than 8 per cent increase in voter numbers between the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and in many of these, the Congress or its allies emerged victorious.

"In West Nagpur, next to my own South West seat, voter count rose by 7 per cent (27,065), and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre won. In North Nagpur, there was a 7 per cent rise (29,348 voters), and the Congress' Nitin Raut secured victory," he said.

"In Vadgaon Sheri (Pune), voter numbers jumped by 10 per cent (50,911), and Bapu Pathare from the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won. In Malad West, the increase was 11 per cent (38,625), and your own party's Aslam Shaikh was elected. In Mumbra, there was a 9 per cent increase (46,041), and Jitendra Awhad from the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won," he wrote in the post.

Taking a dig at Gandhi's communication style, Fadnavis said the Congress leader should have spoken to his long-time colleagues Aslam Shaikh, Vikas Thakare, or Nitin Raut before tweeting.

"This way, you wouldn't have exposed the Congress party's lack of internal communication so embarrassingly," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP MLC Prasad Lad also rubbished Gandhi's allegations, saying his claims were a “result of frustration” within the Congress.

In a post on X, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra assembly polls, claiming that there weren't isolated glitches but "vote theft".

He shared a media report that claimed in just six months between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra assembly polls, Nagpur South West added 29,219 new voters.

"In Maharashtra CM's constituency, the voter list grew by 8% in just 5 months. Some booths saw a 20-50% surge. BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes," Gandhi said in his post, which has drawn sharp criticism from the ruling BJP.

Talking to reporters here, Lad said, “This is a reflection of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s frustration. They are unable to return to power, and even if they do, they cannot retain it. They have no issues to take to the people." "Is it even possible for voter numbers in a specific area to jump so drastically? One must verify the voter registration and turnout figures," he said.

Fadnavis has had an image of being clean and uncorrupt since the start of his political career in 1999, he said, adding that such baseless allegations were attempts to gain publicity.

"Gandhi could not even become the Leader of Opposition in 2019. He resigned as Congress president after the party’s dismal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He can't even strengthen his party. He should look inward before levelling such allegations,” Lad said.

He said that the BJP is a cadre-based party, and every booth-level officer is tasked with getting more voters registered.

"If people are impressed with Fadnavis’ work and decide to vote, where is the problem? Moreover, Gandhi’s figures are contradictory — at one point, he claims a 50 per cent surge in voter numbers and then mentions a 25 per cent rise. He should clarify his statements,” the BJP leader said.

Highlighting the BJP’s grassroots strength, Lad remarked, “We are the world’s largest political party in terms of registered workers. Booth-level worker appointments and voter registrations are carried out with due democratic process. Gandhi’s allegations are an attack on democracy itself.” Lad said the Congress leader's grandmother, Indira Gandhi, had suppressed democracy, and by levelling such allegations, he was trying to mislead people against a democratically elected government.

He said, “The Maharashtra Assembly elections took place in November last year. It has taken Gandhi seven months to raise this issue. This raises doubts about the motive behind his social media post.” He claimed the Congress leader resorted to similar tactics before every election.

“Before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he tried to provoke followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar by claiming democracy was in danger. This is a pattern. Gandhi’s frustration has reached its peak.” He alleged that Maharashtra Congress leaders Nana Patole, Balasaheb Thorat and Vijay Wadettiwar were trying to stay relevant by feeding false information to Rahul Gandhi.

"If the national leader goes public with such unverified claims, it is ridiculous. These people probably need psychological treatment,” he said.

Prakash Bhoyar, Fadnavis’ campaign chief in Nagpur South West, also rubbished the Congress leader's allegations.

“Not just the BJP, even the Congress candidate ran a voter registration drive. He followed in our footsteps after observing our campaign. You can ask Congress candidate Praful Gudadhe Patil.” He said the constituency has witnessed rapid urban growth, which naturally leads to a rise in the number of voters. PTI ND ARU