Rahul Gandhi Alleges 'Match-Fixing' in Maharashtra Elections, Warns of Repeat in Bihar

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Rahul Gandhi once again has stirred controversy with his statement regarding the Maharashtra elections that was held in November 2024. He once gain accused the BJP of fowl play int he elections and has mentioned the steps that BJP took to get results in their favour. He also warned people that the same situation will be seen in Bihar elections that are set to take place later this year. He mentioned the five steps that BJP took to undermine the democracy that are as follows: 

 Step 1: Rigging the Panel: Manipulating the panel that appoints the Election Commission

Step 2: Adding Fake Voters: Including fake voters in the electoral roll

Step 3: Inflating Voter Turnout: Artificially increasing voter turnout numbers

Step 4: Targeted Bogus Voting: Focusing bogus voting in areas where the BJP needed to win

Step 5: Hiding Evidence: Concealing evidence of rigging

Gandhi warned that this "match-fixing" would be repeated in Bihar's upcoming assembly polls and potentially anywhere the BJP is losing. He emphasized that rigged elections damage institutions and erode public faith.

The BJP has strongly denied these allegations, terming them "disgraceful" and accusing Gandhi of undermining the country's institutions. BJP spokesperson Tuhin Sinha pointed out that the Election Commission had already addressed these concerns in detail, and similar procedures were followed in Karnataka assembly elections where Congress won.

The Election Commission of India has also rejected Gandhi's claims, stating that there were no arbitrary additions or deletions of voters in Maharashtra and explaining the normal process of aggregating voter turnout data.

The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 saw the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance win 235 seats, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 132 seats. The Congress party won only 16 seats, while its alliance partners Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) secured 20 and 10 seats, respectively.