Rahul Gandhi Alleges BJP rigged Maharashtra polls

The Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged large-scale electoral manipulation in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, calling it a “blueprint for rigging democracy."

In a post shared on X , Gandhi summarised the key points of an article he wrote for The Indian Express, where he laid out what he claims is a systematic method used to influence the election outcome in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In his article, Gandhi outlined a five-step process he claimed was used to tilt the Maharashtra election. “Step 1: Rig the panel for appointing the Election Commission, Step 2: Add fake voters to the roll, Step 3: Inflate voter turnout, Step 4: Target the bogus voting exactly where BJP needs to win, Step 5: Hide the evidence," the Leader of Opposition wrote in his post.

“It’s not hard to see why the BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra," Gandhi wrote in his post. “But rigging is like match-fixing – the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result."

“All concerned Indians must see the evidence. Judge for themselves. Demand answers," Gandhi added. He also warned that what happened in Maharashtra could be repeated elsewhere. “The match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing," he said, calling match-fixed elections a “poison" for any democracy.

BJP Reacts

In response, many BJP leaders have dismissed the claims as “misleading." BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha, and co-head of the BJP IT Cell in Western Maharashtra Venkatesh Bung blamed Rahul Gandhi for repeatedly trying to sow seeds of doubt and division among voters. They said the Congress leader has returned to his “disgraceful antics of demonising the country’s institutions." 

Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha leader Jitan Ram Manjhi also slammed Gandhi over his allegations. “This means he has already accepted defeat. People who fear losing often say such things," Manjhi said.