Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of electoral rigging have stirred controversy in Maharashtra, with claims that automated software was used to manipulate voter lists. According to Gandhi, the same program had been employed in states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana to add or remove names from the rolls.

 

In the Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency, Congress candidate Pratibha Dhanorkar secured a victory margin of 2.6 lakh votes, with a lead of over 58,000 in the Rajura assembly segment. However, just half a year later, the BJP’s Deorao Bhongle defeated Congress’ Dhote in the Rajura assembly election by a margin of 3,054 votes. Dhote argued that he should have secured another victory of more than 3,000 votes, but alleged that fraudulent entries altered the outcome. He said that although the Election Commission removed the disputed entries following his complaint, it has not disclosed the details of those responsible. Letters have been sent to the district collector and Superintendent of Police, seeking accountability.

 

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant supported Gandhi’s claims, stating that the Election Commission’s refusal to release CCTV footage from polling stations lent credibility to the accusations. He challenged the EC to respond transparently to Gandhi’s questions if it wished to maintain public trust.

 

Meanwhile, the BJP dismissed the charges. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described Gandhi as “a serial liar,” pointing to the Election Commission’s rejection of the claims as proof. He argued that the Congress was making baseless accusations after suffering electoral defeats. The EC, he added, had already issued notices to Gandhi, but no concrete evidence had been provided either to the commission or the courts.