Did Maharashtra Reject Rahul Gandhi? Will Bihar Follow Suit?

Mumbai, June 7 (NationPress) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of consistently lying and disrespecting the people's mandate during the 2024 Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Revenue Minister and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule criticized Gandhi's claims, asserting, "Rahulji, stop attempting to mislead the nation by selectively interpreting figures. Instead of blaming others to obscure your failures, engage in self-reflection. The people of Maharashtra have turned their backs on you, and soon, the people of Bihar will do the same. Out of this anxiety, you are already concocting excuses for your impending defeat."

"The citizens of Maharashtra placed their trust in our Mahayuti with a decisive majority. This trust will remain intact in future elections. By perpetually lying, you are tarnishing the credibility of the people's mandate. The people will not forgive your actions," Bawankule emphasized.

In response to Gandhi's assertion regarding a suspicious increase of 39 lakh voters in Maharashtra over five months, the state BJP remarked, "But Rahulji, what transpired in 2009? If you need a reminder, let me provide one. In April 2009, during the Lok Sabha elections, there were 7,29,54,000 voters, while by October 2009, during the Assembly elections, the number rose to 7,59,68,000. Even then, 30 lakh voters were added in just five months!"

"Did you have faith in the Election Commission back then, or was there a Congress-Commission alliance at play? Did you engage in any scandal during that period? Please clarify. In 2004 and 2009, when you triumphed, no questions were raised! Now that you have faced defeat and the people of Maharashtra have rejected you, the complaints have begun," stated Bawankule.

Rahul Gandhi, in his media statement, alleged that the state Assembly election held in 2024 was akin to a match-fixing operation, claiming the scale of rigging was so blatant that even without official sources, clear evidence has surfaced from official statistics, outlining a systematic approach.

He further claimed that the voter turnout at 5 p.m. was 58.22 percent, yet the final turnout was reported the following morning as 66.05 percent, representing an unprecedented increase of 7.83 percent, or 76 lakh voters, significantly higher than the previous state Assembly election in Maharashtra.

Moreover, Rahul Gandhi stated, "It is not hard to understand why rigging in Maharashtra in November 2024 reached such alarming levels. However, rigging is akin to match-fixing—while the fixing side might win the game, it inflicts irreparable harm on institutions and public confidence in the outcomes. Elections marred by match-fixing poison any democracy."