Fadnavis rejects ‘vote theft’ claims, accuses Rahul Gandhi of ‘anarchy’

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for repeatedly questioning the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged dissent among its member during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and said that the Congress leader attempted to spark “anarchy and chaos” by undermining public trust in constitutional bodies.

CM dismissed the opposition’s allegations of vote theft as completely baseless. “I want to say in very clear words that no votes were stolen—Rahul Gandhi’s mind was stolen,” Fadnavis remarked.

“I would request the Prime Minister to form a committee to bring his mind back so that he speaks in the country’s interest, speaks correctly, and speaks the truth,” he added.

Fadnavis slammed Gandhi for brandishing the Constitution while simultaneously trying to discredit key national institutions. He said that the Congress leader is consistently attempting to sow seeds of doubt in the public mind regarding the ECI, the Supreme Court, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

“By creating this situation of anarchy, he wants people to feel that the democratic system established by the Constitution cannot give them justice,” Fadnavis said. “Are the institutions created under Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution so weak that they can be eliminated? Rahul wants to bring about anarchy, and on those lines, a certain newspaper prints a news item without any evidence.”

Questioning a report by a national English daily claiming internal differences within the poll body, Fadnavis reiterated that all decisions regarding the SIR of electoral rolls were taken unanimously by the Election Commission.

Regarding a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary, Fadnavis pointed out that the ECI had already issued a press note clarifying that the communication was not related to policy matters. Despite this explicit clarification, he said, the leader of the Opposition continues to confuse the public and stir doubts.

“All three election commissioners have unequivocally stated that they took all decisions collectively. All decisions were unanimous, all agendas were thoroughly discussed, and no member held a differing view. There is no dissent on record,” Fadnavis asserted.

When asked about NDA allies—such as Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan and Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu—seeking clarification on the SIR issue, Fadnavis said it is natural for the poll body to offer explanations when constant accusations are being hurled at it daily. “Rahul Gandhi’s strategy is clear: when you cannot convince people, confuse them,” Fadnavis added.

“He is trying to throw the country’s constitutional and democratic system into chaos by sowing confusion,” he said.

The Maharashtra CM further charged that Gandhi’s mindset has turned “communist,” accusing him of attempting to dismantle faith in democratic institutions to usher in a leftist regime. He stated that the Congress party is continuously driving fake narratives that display an anti-constitutional stance.

“Because people have lost faith in them, Congress’s strategy is to create distrust against the system itself,” Fadnavis emphasised. “When you fail to convince people, you confuse them—that is their theory. But this strategy will not work, and the people will give them a befitting reply. The Constitution of India and its institutions will remain intact. No matter how hard they try, we will not allow communist rule to be brought here.”

Dismissing the upcoming protest planned by Opposition parties—including Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), NCP, and Congress—over alleged SIR irregularities, Fadnavis cited the West Bengal elections as an example, noting that even though voter numbers dropped sharply in 15 constituencies due to the SIR process, the Trinamool Congress still won those seats.