Mumbai, June 7 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday accused the Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly lying and insulting the people's mandate in the 2024 Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Revenue Minister and the state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule rebuked charges levelled by Gandhi, stating that "Rahulji, stop trying to confuse the country by selectively reading numbers. Instead of blaming others to hide your own failure, introspect. The people of Maharashtra have rejected you, and now the people of Bihar will also show you the door. Out of this fear, you are already giving excuses for your defeat."

"The people of Maharashtra chose out Mahayuti with a majority. This is the trust that the people have shown in us. This trust will remain unbroken in the next election as well. By repeatedly lying, you are insulting the mandate of the people of the state. The people will never forgive you," said Bawankule.

Referring to Gandhi's allegation about the increase of 39 lakh voters in Maharashtra in five months as "suspicious,' the state BJP said, "But Rahulji, what happened in 2009? If you don't remember, let me remind you. In April 2009, during the Lok Sabha elections, there were 7,29,54,000 voters, while in October 2009, during the Assembly elections, there were 7,59,68,000 voters. Even then, in just 5 months, 30 lakh voters increased!"

"Did you trust the Election Commission back then, or was there a Congress-Commission alliance even at that time? Did you commit a scam back then? Answer this. In 2004 and 2009, when you won, no questions arose! Now that you've faced defeat, now that the people of Maharashtra have rejected you, the whining has started," said Bawankule.

Rahul Gandhi, in his write-up in the media, alleged the state Assembly election held in 2024 was a match fixing exercise as the scale of rigging was so desperate that despite all efforts to conceal it, telltale evidence has emerged from official statistics without relying on any official source, revealing a step by step playbook.

He further claimed that the polling turnout at 5 p.m. was 58.22 per cent. The final turnout was reported only the next morning to be 66.05 per cent, an unprecedented hike of 7.83 per cent, equivalent to 76 lakh voters was much higher than the previous state Assembly election in Maharashtra.

Further, Rahul Gandhi claimed, "It is not to guess why rigging in Maharashtra in November 2024 took on such desperate proportions. But rigging is like match fixing- the fixing side might win a game, but irreparable damage is done to institutions and people's faith in the result. Match fixed elections are a poison for any democracy."

/IANS