Maharashtra CM Fadnavis Refutes Rahul Gandhi’s Allegation Of Stolen Win

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday firmly rejected Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's allegation that the 2024 assembly polls in the western state, won with a decisive mandate by the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, were "stolen". 

Speaking to reporters at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, Gandhi said Maharashtra results confirmed his party's suspicion that the assembly elections were 'stolen'. 

"Not giving machine-readable voter lists convinced us that the Election Commission (EC) colluded with the BJP to 'steal' elections in Maharashtra," alleged the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. 

Speaking to reporters near Panaji, Fadnavis, a senior BJP leader, hit back at Gandhi over his voter fraud claim in Maharashtra, where assembly polls were held in November 2024. 

"I feel that, maybe, he (Gandhi) should get it (brain) checked," he said when asked about the Congress MP's remarks on the Maharashtra elections. 

"Either his brain has been stolen, or a chip in his brain is missing. That is why he is making such statements often," opined the Maharashtra Chief Minister.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance had a stunning victory in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections by winning 230 seats in the 288-member House. The BJP alone bagged 132 seats, the highest among all constituents of the Mahayuti alliance. Its allies, Shiv Sena and the NCP, also performed well, winning 57 and 41 seats, respectively. 

The Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a setback. The grand old party registered one of its worst performances in the assembly polls as it won only 16 seats. Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) bagged just 10 seats, whereas former CM Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) won 20.