The political climate is charged as Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, is currently accusing election authorities of vote theft. Adding to the controversy, two significant parties from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have also come forward with serious claims. Sharad Pawar of NCP (Sharad Pawar) has alleged that prior to the November 2024 assembly elections, the MVA was approached by two individuals who claimed they could guarantee the alliance would win 160 seats.
Following these developments, Shiv Sena (UBT) has also made similar accusations. On Sunday, Shiv Sena claimed that the same individuals had offered to secure the party’s victory in 60-65 key seats by manipulating Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader Raut said on Sunday, “I was present at the meeting where Uddhav Thackeray, because of his belief in the democratic system, rejected their proposal.” Both NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Shiv Sena (UBT) are part of the MVA coalition, alongside the Congress and other smaller parties. This alliance performed well in the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections, securing 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. However, the party faced a setback in the assembly elections six months later, winning only 50 out of 288 seats.
Sharad Pawar revealed on Saturday that before the assembly elections, two individuals contacted him and offered to secure the MVA’s victory on 160 out of 288 seats through ‘EVM management.’ Sharad Pawar added, “The MVA rejected the proposal because we wanted to operate fairly.” He did not disclose the names of the individuals nor their organizational affiliations. On Sunday, Raut also confirmed that Thackeray had rejected the same proposal from these two individuals, as he was confident in the MVA’s victory, considering the state’s political environment.
A Shiv Sena (UBT) MP stated, “We had a good performance in the Lok Sabha elections and expected similar results in the state elections.” When Thackeray and other Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders refused the offer to win 60-65 seats via ‘EVM management,’ the two individuals informed them that the ruling Mahayuti alliance was planning to manipulate EVMs and voter lists to ensure the MVA’s defeat in the election.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra responded to Sharad Pawar’s major claims, stating that this seemed to be a consequence of a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.