MUMBAI: Strongly reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s voter manipulation and vote cheating during elections allegation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that while votes may have been stolen, "the chip from Mr Gandhi’s head has surely been stolen." Fadnavis accused Gandhi of maligning the image of an independent institution like the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Fadnavis claimed that "the hard disk of Mr Rahul Gandhi has been corrupted, and the chip from his head has been stolen," which is why he has been making baseless charges against the ECI and questioning its integrity. He further alleged, "Rahul Gandhi is trying to steal the mandate of the people. He is stealing the decision taken in a democracy. Besides, he is not firm on his statements and data. Last time, he claimed in Maharashtra that 75 lakh votes got increased, and now, he is saying one crore votes increased."
The Chief Minister stated that the BJP had already countered Gandhi’s allegations with facts and figures, but he continues to repeat them. "By speaking lies, Mr Gandhi is trying to cover his defeat in the elections. This is called the cover firing. He is going to lose again; therefore, he has made this statement to justify his failure and defeats," Fadnavis said.
He also questioned why Gandhi and his allies were opposing the comprehensive voter list exercise if they believed there were compromises in the voter list. "We are demanding this review of the voters' list, but Congress is opposing it. Congress lost the election and continued to lose; therefore, Mr Gandhi is trying to malign the institutions that are functioning independently. We strongly condemn it. People will teach them a lesson in the upcoming elections," Fadnavis added.
In response, Congress legislative party leader and MLA Vijay Wadettiwar defended Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, asking why BJP leaders were reacting so aggressively. "Rahul Gandhi raised doubts and questions over the Election Commission of India, and why are BJP leaders getting afraid? Are the BJP and the Election Commission hand in glove and working for each other? If the question is raised to the Election Commission, then let them answer. Why is the BJP so angry and getting annoyed with Mr. Gandhi’s serious and important questions over the integrity of the Election Commission of India?" Wadettiwar said.