Devendra Fadnavis, His Deputy Rubbish Rahul Gandhi's "Match-Fixing" Claim

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's detailed article on the alleged 'match-fixing' in the Maharashtra assembly elections - held six months ago - has reignited a political firestorm in the state. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha listed several concerns, ranging from changes in the process of appointing the chief election commissioner to alleged local-level manipulations such as name changes and inflated voter turnout, suggesting a rigged mandate.

The political reactions in Maharashtra have been swift and sharp, as Mr Gandhi's allegations echo what opposition parties in the state have been claiming since the poll results were declared.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis questioned the timing of Mr Gandhi's article and dismissed the claims as yet another attempt at deflection.

"As long as he doesn't get on the ground and understand reality - as long as he gives himself fake assurances - things won't change for his party, and such baseless narratives will continue," Mr Fadnavis said, adding the Congress has already disarmed itself ahead of the Bihar elections.

Soon after the assembly poll results, then-state Congress chief Nana Patole promised a statewide campaign to demand the return of paper ballots. However, that movement never materialised.

Following Mr Gandhi's fresh claims, the Maharashtra Congress under its new state president Harshvardhan Sapkal has renewed the demand and announced statewide protests on June 12.

Mr Sapkal told reporters the opposition submitted a "statistical and data-based case" to the Election Commission, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose not to address the issue during his 90-minute speech in parliament earlier this year.

Mr Sapkal also raised questions about voting data in the 2024 state elections. He said while the difference between preliminary and final voter turnout figures had never exceeded 1 per cent in the last four election cycles, the 2024 figures showed an unexplained 8 per cent rise.

"With advanced technology and updated systems, how did such a massive error occur?" Mr Sapkal alleged.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde defended the ruling Mahayuti alliance, reiterating a point he has made in the past: "In the Lok Sabha elections, when the Maha Vikas Aghadi won in Maharashtra, they did not say anything. At that time, the EVMs and ECI were right... They are now trying to spread a fake narrative."

The Election Commission itself also came under fire from Mr Gandhi in his article.

In response, the ECI released a statement defending the integrity of India's electoral process and highlighting the transparency of its mechanisms.

"The entire nation is aware that each election process-including the preparation of electoral rolls, polling and counting-is conducted by government staff in the presence of authorised representatives formally appointed by political parties or candidates, from polling station to constituency level," the Election Commission said.

Responding to the EC, Mr Gandhi said the EC is a constitutional body and "releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions."

"If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by: Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra; releasing all post-5 pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths. Evasion won't protect your credibility. Telling the truth will," Mr Gandhi said in a post on X.

Dear EC,

You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.

If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by:

• Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable...

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 7, 2025

Former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan questioned the ECI's alleged inaction despite early warnings.

"Were we present when the voter registrations were taking place? Why did the ECI not act when we reached out with concerns about potential rigging?" he said. "We want the ECI to give clear-cut answers and not beat around the bush. We have submitted election petitions with all our complaints, and even those haven't been addressed," Mr Chavan added.