‘People rejected Rahul, now he's rejecting democracy': Fadnavis hits back over rigging claim
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, instead of introspecting on the defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, has been repudiating the mandate given by the people because they rejected him.
The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is preparing his excuses for future defeats in the upcoming assembly elections, including Bihar, Fadnavis said in his articles published in the Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta.
On Saturday, Gandhi, in an article published in several newspapers and in posts on X, claimed the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a "blueprint for rigging democracy" and alleged this "match-fixing" would next happen in Bihar.
In a post on X, Gandhi outlined the alleged electoral irregularities in a stepwise manner — fake voters are added, voter turnout is inflated, bogus voting is facilitated, and evidence is subsequently hidden.
The Election Commission rejected the charge, saying defaming the poll panel after an unfavourable verdict is absolutely absurd.
In response to Gandhi's claims, Fadnavis in his article said the Congress leader has been constantly "insulting" the democratic process and the people's mandate.
"The people have rejected Rahul Gandhi, and in retaliation, he is rejecting the people and their mandate," the BJP leader charged.
" It would be more prudent to accept defeat for once and introspect on where you are going wrong, where your connection with the people is lacking, and what you should do about it," he said.
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