Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dismissed the allegations made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi regarding irregularities in the state’s voter list. Fadnavis asserted that such accusations are motivated by the Congress party’s fear of a significant loss in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections. “Rahul Gandhi is merely providing a distraction as the Congress faces a substantial defeat in Delhi,” he commented during a press conference in Nagpur on Friday.

In addition to his remarks to the media, Fadnavis took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond, stating, “Repeating a joke doesn’t make it funnier (Jab ek hee chutkula bar bar sunaya jaye to uspar hansa nahi karte).” He tagged Rahul Gandhi’s account in his tweet.

During the same media interaction, Fadnavis suggested that Rahul Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, should engage in self-reflection if the Congress party hopes to revitalize itself.

His statements coincided with a press conference where opposition leaders, including NCP MP Supriya Sule, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut, and Rahul Gandhi himself, pressed the Election Commission to clarify several critical issues related to the ongoing preparations for the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, citing alleged inconsistencies in the voters list.

Rahul Gandhi raised concerns about recent changes in the process for appointing the Election Commissioner just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “The selection of the Election Commissioner used to involve a committee with the Chief Justice, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Prime Minister. This was altered by the government, replacing the Chief Justice with a member from the BJP. Consequently, a new Commissioner was appointed before the Lok Sabha elections,” he explained.

He highlighted that while 32 lakh new voters were added between the 2019 assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, an astonishing 39 lakh new voters were registered in just five months prior to the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. “How can there be more new voters now than over the last five years? Who are these additional voters? For context, Himachal Pradesh has an entire population that equals the 39 lakh new voters added in Maharashtra,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi further questioned the discrepancy in voter registration figures, pointing out that while Maharashtra’s population is approximately 9.54 crore, the Election Commission lists the state’s voters at 9.7 crore. “This suggests that new voters are being fabricated in Maharashtra,” he claimed.

He also noted that the number of votes for opposition parties has remained stable, with little change in comparison to the previous electoral results. “In the Kamthi assembly constituency, for example, Congress received 1.36 lakh votes during the Lok Sabha elections and 1.34 lakh in the assembly elections, showing consistency despite a significant influx of new voters,” he stated.

Rahul Gandhi demanded transparency from the Election Commission regarding the voter lists, requesting detailed information, including names, addresses, and photographs of voters. “We want to see who these new voters are, as many names have been removed and others added from different booths, particularly among Dalit, tribal, and minority groups,” he added.

He expressed frustration over the Election Commission’s lack of response, suggesting that the absence of information raises suspicion. “I’m presenting the data without making any allegations; there are questions that need to be addressed,” he concluded at the press conference.