Shinde Refutes Rahul Gandhi's Allegations Against Election Commission

Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde, dismissed allegations made by Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition, concerning purported collusion between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Terming the accusations as "baseless," Shinde attributed the uptick in voter turnout in Maharashtra to the strong backing of Ladli Behnas, farmers, and the public for the Mahayuti alliance, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP.

Shinde emphasized, "The increased voting percentage reflects the decision of Maharashtra's people to make the Mahayuti victorious. Rahul Gandhi's allegations are baseless." He accused the Congress of past electoral hypocrisy, citing an incident involving Balasaheb Thackeray's voting rights under the Manmohan Singh government. Shinde also speculated Congress's grounds for potential electoral defeat in Bihar.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier accused the ECI of aiding BJP's electoral manipulation, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi became PM with a slim seat margin. Alleging ECI's suppression of data in Mahadevpur, he warned of exposing India's democratic flaws if similar patterns emerged in Lok Sabha seats. He also alleged that the poll body instructed limited preservation of CCTV and webcasting evidence to undermine electoral transparency.

(With inputs from agencies.)