Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance fired back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's explosive allegations of "vote theft" and Election Commission complicity, branding them "baseless" and politically motivated sour grapes in the wake of electoral defeats. Gandhi's Thursday press conference, where he accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of shielding "democracy destroyers," cited attempted deletions of 6,018 Congress-leaning votes in Karnataka's Aland constituency ahead of the 2023 polls and the addition of 6,850 "fake" voters in Maharashtra's Rajura seat via automated software—claims the ECI swiftly rejected as "incorrect and baseless," noting an FIR was filed and deletions prevented.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport en route to the NCP's 'Chintan Shibir' on Friday, dismissed Gandhi's rhetoric as meaningless posturing. "There's no substance to what Rahul says—they had zero issues during the Lok Sabha polls when Maha Vikas Aghadi clinched 31 of 48 Maharashtra seats," Pawar quipped. He pointed to opposition victories in Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee, and AAP's sweeps in Delhi and Punjab, contrasting them with NDA's Lok Sabha setbacks due to "false narratives" like Constitution tampering. Pawar credited Mahayuti's 2024 assembly triumph to countering those myths with welfare hits like the Ladki Bahin Yojana.

Echoing Pawar late Thursday in Thane, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde challenged Gandhi to back his accusations with a formal affidavit to the ECI, insisting Maharashtra's—and other states'—electoral processes were "entirely transparent." Shinde highlighted Congress's Aland win under the same system Gandhi now impugns: "How can you cry foul in a seat your party triumphed? Submit proof legally, not via press conferences." He lambasted the pattern: "Every loss triggers EVM doubts, voter list gripes, and ECI smears—yet UPA under Manmohan Singh introduced EVMs." Shinde jabbed that Gandhi aimed for a "hydrogen bomb" reveal but fizzled, undermining the people's mandate for Mahayuti's welfare-driven governance over three years.

Also Read: Karnataka CEO Rebuts Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Deletion Allegations

The ECI and Karnataka CEO have affirmed full cooperation with probes, including sharing IP logs and OTP trails with Kalaburagi police since 2023, rejecting any cover-up. As opposition demands CM Devendra Fadnavis's resignation, the BJP accuses Congress of an "infiltrators-first" agenda to protect illegal voters. Gandhi's broader claims of systemic deletions targeting minorities, SCs, and tribals—via centralized software and out-of-state phones—have ignited a national row, but Mahayuti leaders see it as desperate deflection ahead of key state polls.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi Alleges Voter Fraud in Maharashtra Calls for Fadnavis to Step Down