Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, stating that the party’s repeated allegations regarding vote theft and poll irregularities—without submitting any evidence to the Election Commission or the courts—will only lead to further electoral setbacks. His remarks came in the backdrop of the Congress’s poor performance in the recently held Bihar elections, where the party managed to secure just six seats in the 243-member assembly. Speaking at an event in Chikhalthana, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Fadnavis said the Congress must reconnect with people and genuinely raise issues concerning the public if it aims to revive its political prospects.
Fadnavis inaugurated the BJP’s new regional office in the presence of Raosaheb Danve, Minister Atul Save, Pankaja Munde, Meghna Bordikar, and MP Bhagwat Karad. “The nation continues to place its faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the people are directly responding to the Opposition’s fake narrative,” he said, referencing the NDA’s landslide victory in the Bihar assembly elections. He added that the Congress needs to stop depending on unfounded claims. “The Congress repeatedly talks about vote theft and EVM manipulation, but when courts or the Election Commission ask for evidence, they fail to provide any. If they do not change their approach, they will face the same defeat in the upcoming local elections,” Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis also hit out at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that during Thackeray’s recent tour of Marathwada, public meetings saw low attendance, indicating diminishing faith in his leadership. He criticised the Shiv Sena (UBT) for staging agitations over the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar water pipeline project, alleging that the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi government had stalled the important scheme. “We have undertaken extensive developmental work in the Marathwada region, including the water pipeline project. Local leaders told me the municipal body could not bear its share of Rs 800 crore,” he said. On the upcoming civic elections, Fadnavis urged BJP leaders to form alliances wherever they prove strategically beneficial.