Fadnavis Challenges Rahul's Voter Allegations

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refutes Rahul Gandhi's claims about voter irregularities in state elections, stating that Gandhi's assertions are misleading. Fadnavis suggests the surge in voter numbers was due to an Election Commission campaign, not fraud. He also accuses Gandhi of undermining trust in democratic institutions.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday strongly denied allegations made by Rahul Gandhi regarding voter irregularities in the state assembly elections. Fadnavis criticized Gandhi, claiming the Congress leader was misdirecting his accusations instead of addressing the real issues.

Gandhi had asserted that a suspiciously high number of voters were added to the electoral rolls between the Lok Sabha and state elections. He pointed to an increase of 39 lakh new voters in just five months, raising concerns of possible discrepancies.

Addressing these allegations at the Jaipur Dialogues Deccan Summit in Pune, Fadnavis explained that the increase resulted from a campaign by the Election Commission to address missing names from the voter list. He accused Gandhi of eroding trust in democratic institutions and fueling urban Naxalism by expressing distrust in the system.

(With inputs from agencies.)