Fadnavis slams Rahul Gandhi over allegations about irregularities in Maharashtra assembly polls
Pune(PTI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday rejected Rahul Gandhi's allegations about irregularities in the state assembly elections, saying instead of wiping the dust off his face, the Congress leader was cleaning the mirror.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Friday claimed that more voters were added in Maharashtra in five months between the Lok Sabha and state polls than in five years before.
Between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections, 39 lakh new voters were added in just five months, he claimed.
Speaking at the Jaipur Dialogues Deccan Summit Pune 2025, the chief minister dismissed reports about discontent in the Mahayuti and Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde's stand in the ruling alliance.
"Shinde has a serious personality. The media is spreading false claims about him being upset," he said.
Fadnavis questioned Gandhi's allegations about irregularities in the 2024 state assembly elections.
"The number of voters keeps increasing in the assembly polls held after every Lok Sabha election. Many people didn't find their name in the voters' list during the Lok Sabha elections. When we followed up on this issue, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched a campaign, and a large number of new voters were included. Instead of wiping the dust off his face, Rahul Gandhi is cleaning the mirror," he said.
Fadnavis further accused the Congress leader of strengthening urban Naxalism.
"He (Gandhi) expresses distrust in institutions in our system. Due to this, urban Naxals are trying to destroy the public's trust in our democratic set-up. Rahul Gandhi is strengthening them," he said.
The chief minister said the Mahayuti could win the 2024 assembly elections because Maharashtra accepted the "ek hai toh safe hai" slogan.
In the 2024 assembly elections, the Mahayuti coalition of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena won 230 of the 288 seats in the state. BJP led the pack with 132 seats. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was reduced to 46 seats, with NCP (SP) and Sena (UBT) getting 10 and 20, respectively.
"We witnessed the first example of 'ek hai toh safe hai' during the Maharashtra elections, and now, we have seen it play out in Delhi as well," he said, referring to the BJP's big win in the assembly elections in the capital.
He claimed that the Lok Sabha elections saw the impact of "vote jihad", which led to a division of votes, and this split cost the BJP 12 crucial seats, including Dhule, where the margin of defeat was merely 4,000 votes.
"During the state elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out how people were being divided along caste lines, which, in turn, emboldened forces seeking to create instability in the country. People noted this and voted accordingly in the assembly elections," Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis rejected Uddhav Thackeray's claim that the BJP had promise him the chief minister's post after the 2019 assembly polls.
"After the poll results were out, the Shiv Sena suddenly held a press conference separately, announcing that all options were open for them. When I tried to contact him (Thackeray), he didn't even take my call," he said.
He claimed that the BJP later found out about NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's pre-poll understanding with the Shiv Sena.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
