Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday slammed Congress leader and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his repeated allegations of "election rigging" in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, terming it as "unfortunate". Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde stated that this is his (Rahul Gandhi's) old habit and he only makes allegations when he lose. Eknath Shinde while speaking to media on Thursday June 26 stated that, "Rahul Gandhi repeatedly makes false statements against the Election Commission. When Congress wins, like in Telangana, he doesn’t say anything, doesn’t raise any objections. When Congress won in Karnataka, he didn’t accuse the Election Commission... But when they lose, that’s when he starts making accusations. This has become his old habit, when he wins, he praises the Election Commission; when he loses, he blames it..."
On Wednesday (June 25) while talking to media in Pune, Eknath Shinde allege that Rahul Gandhi's repeated allegations are inappropriate. The Election Commission has summoned him, and he should address his concerns through the proper channels, such as the Election Commission or the courts. It's unfortunate that he's spreading these narratives, especially since he didn't raise such issues when Congress won in Karnataka or Telangana, or when the opposition gained seats in Maharashtra. He should seek resolution through official channels instead of misleading the public.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sharply rebutted Rahul Gandhi's accusation that the voter list in his constituency was manipulated, calling it a desperate claim stemming from Congress's defeat in the state. Responding to Gandhi's post on X, Fadnavis wrote, "Jhoot boley kawa kaatey, Kaaley Kawaey se daryo... Rahul Gandhi, it's clear that the sting of your party's humiliating defeat in Maharashtra is growing deeper by the day."
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The former Congress President has recently raised allegations against the poll body of "election rigging' in the Maharashtra assembly polls. However, ECI has rejected the allegations. Gandhi has further raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, citing the destruction of evidence as a potential indicator of election rigging against the backdrop of the Election Commission's (EC) revised guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections, reducing the retention period to 45 days. (With inputs from ANI and IANS)