Devendra Fadnavis Hits Back at Raj Thackeray Over Election Fraud Claims

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a sharp counterattack on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray after the latter echoed Rahul Gandhi's allegations of large-scale electoral fraud.

Fadnavis dismissed the charge outright, accusing Thackeray of "misleading his supporters" instead of addressing the reasons behind repeated electoral failures. "They are simply trying to console their own people, telling them they were on the verge of victory and lost only due to a conspiracy. This way their workers don't scatter. But until they stop lying and deceiving people, they will not win," Fadnavis said in a pointed remark.

Thackeray's Stand

Raj Thackeray, speaking at a party meeting in Pune, stood by Rahul Gandhi's "vote chori" charge, reminding supporters that he had raised similar concerns years ago. He even claimed that in 2016-17 he had advised the Opposition to boycott elections to build international pressure, but his counsel was ignored.

Thackeray alleged that electoral manipulation has been rampant since 2014, shaping the rise and continuity of governments. Pointing to the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, he cited figures from BJP, Eknath Shinde's faction, and Ajit Pawar's NCP group to argue that both winners and losers were left puzzled by irregular results.

Rahul Gandhi's Pushback

The controversy first reignited when Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of siding with the BJP in "stealing elections." Gandhi highlighted what he called fraudulent voter additions in Karnataka's Mahadevapura constituency, claiming over one lakh fake names had been inserted.

The Election Commission, however, issued a stern rebuttal, demanding Gandhi either submit evidence on affidavit or publicly apologise. To date, neither has happened, but the Opposition has rallied behind his claims - with Raj Thackeray being the latest to add his voice.