Rahul Gandhi rejecting people's mandate is ‘insulting', says Devendra Fadnavis on 2024 assembly polls

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that instead of introspecting on the Congress party's defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is rejecting the mandate of the people who voted against him which is 'insulting'
Fadnavis wrote in his articles published in the Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta that the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is already preparing excuses for future defeats in upcoming assembly elections, including in Bihar.
The Congress leader, on Saturday, in an article published in several newspapers and posts on X, described the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections as a 'blueprint for rigging democracy' and alleged that this 'match-fixing' would next occur in Bihar.
In his post on X, Gandhi listed the alleged irregularities step by step — fake voters are added, voter turnout is inflated, bogus voting is facilitated, and evidence is subsequently hidden.
The Election Commission dismissed these allegations, saying 'defaming the poll panel after an unfavourable verdict is absolutely absurd.' The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, secured a decisive victory in the 2024 Maharashtra elections, defeating the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP).
'This will only push the Congress party further into a ditch. He needs to introspect on why his own party's MLAs make statements challenging anyone to get an appointment with him within a day. He must be mindful of which direction he is taking the country and what poison he is spreading by constantly raising doubts about the democratic process and constitutional institutions,' Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis said that the defeat in Maharashtra has stung Gandhi and his allies. 'But if you continue to insult the mandate of Maharashtra's farmers, Ladki Bahin (beloved sisters), common people, and all its citizens in this manner, the people of Maharashtra will never forgive you,' he added.
Fadnavis further said, 'As far as the Maharashtra election is concerned, it was not fundamentally a contest between the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi. There was another factor: The Bharat Jodo Abhiyaan. What was this 'todo' (break) campaign, established under the name of 'jodo' (unite), doing?'
He alleged that the campaign was fostering misconceptions among the public about the country's constitutional institutions, thereby encouraging opposition against the nation itself—this included the judiciary and the Election Commission.
Fadnavis also highlighted the appointment process of the Chief Election Commissioner, stating, 'From 1950 until a new law was enacted, the (previous) Congress governments directly appointed the Chief Election Commissioner.'
'Out of 26 commissioners to date, 25 were directly appointed by the central government. For the first time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi established a committee that includes the leader of the opposition or the leader of the largest political party (in the opposition),' he pointed out.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi's objection over the rise in the number of electors in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, which he described as 'bogus voters,' Devendra Fadnavis said that the number of young voters is consistently increasing.
'Between 2014 and 2019, 63 lakh new voters were added; from 2009 to 2014, 75 lakh new voters were added; and from 2004 to 2009, 1 crore new voters were added. This means that nothing extraordinary happened in 2024,' he said.
Citing voter turnout trends, Fadnavis added that in 2004, the assembly election turnout was 5% higher than the Lok Sabha polls; in 2009, it was 4% higher; in 2014, 3% higher; in 2019, 1% higher; and in 2024, again 4% higher. 'So again, nothing new happened in 2024,' the CM said.
Commenting on the allegation that the voting percentage saw a sudden surge, Fadnavis said, 'The claim that the voting percentage suddenly increased is a huge joke. Is Rahul Gandhi unaware that 5 pm to 6 pm is also a polling hour, and everyone present in the queue at the booth by 6 pm is allowed to cast their vote?'
He further pointed out that in the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the voter turnout reported at 5 pm was 60.96%, which finalised at 66.71% the next day — an increase of 5.75%. "But are you going to hide that fact because you won that election?" Fadnavis questioned.
Previously, the final voting figures were announced late at night, but now the 5 pm figure is released first, followed by the final tally the next day, he explained.
The CM also dismissed the claim that the NDA won in places where voter percentage increased at the last moment as "even more laughable."
"Rahul Gandhi gave the example of Kamthi (assembly seat in Maharashtra). But I will provide the examples which he did not. In Madha, there was an 18 per cent increase, where the Sharad Pawar group's candidate won. In Wani, a 13 per cent increase, where the Uddhav Thackeray group's candidate won. In Shrirampur, a 12 per cent increase, where the Congress won," he said.
(With PTI inputs)