Gehlot defends Rahul on 'vote chori' allegation; dubs ECI's affidavit demand as 'absurd'

Fadnavis Lashes Out At Rahul's Allegations Against EC

- STATEMENT NEWS SERVICE

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of manipulation made against the Election Commission is a ploy to "create unrest and anarchy" in the country.

"Despite repeated explanation by the EC, the opposition continues to level baseless charges against the BJP. This is an insult to the people's mandate and democratic system. All these charges are baseless. The Congress has no agenda because the people have rejected them in the Maharashtra Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The Congress is looking for excuses to cover up its failures," he told the media here.

"I think that Rahul Gandhi needs to get his brain checked. Either his brain has been stolen or there is a chip missing from his brain. That's the reason he is making such statements," Fadnavis said.

However, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party criticised the BJP as well as the ECI even as Congress activists attempted to block traffic in Dadar.

On Friday, the Maharashtra unit of the Congress led by Maharashtra state Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal and senior Congress leaders staged a protest and attempted to block traffic in Mumbai's Dadar area, after which they were taken away by the police.

Sapkal alleged that the BJP and EC colluded to commit vote chori (vote theft) on a large scale and in Maharashtra alone more than 40 lakh bogus votes were cast, undermining the democratic electoral process.