BJP responding to Rahul Gandhi’s questions instead of EC confirms match-fixing allegations: Congress

Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, the Congress on Sunday said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responding to Rahul Gandhi’s charges instead of the Election Commission only confirms the match-fixing allegations.

Besides, the Congress also raked up the issue of Markadwadi village, which was the ground zero of anti-EVM protests after the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, when the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had flagged the issue of alleged irregularities in the polls.

“The refusal to conduct a mock poll in Markadwadi itself is a clear sign that something was being hidden…if there was no rigging, why was the mock poll in Markadwadi blocked?,” said veteran Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala, who is the AICC in-charge of Maharashtra.

“Given the deepening doubts about the conduct of the Election Commission, it is the Commission that must respond to these serious questions. Instead, BJP leaders are replying on behalf of the Commission, which is even more concerning. This only confirms that match-fixing did take place in this election,” he said.

In a press statement, Chennithala stated: “What happened in the Maharashtra Assembly election was not accidental—it was a meticulously planned operation. It was a calculated attack on the democratic process. Rahul Gandhi’s revelations have exposed this disturbing truth. Maharashtra, once a beacon of democratic values, is now witnessing a deep erosion of those values. The Congress Party has been consistently following up with the Election Commission, but so far, the responses have been superficial and unsatisfactory.”

“Even in the case of the Haryana Assembly elections, when the Chandigarh High Court ordered the release of CCTV footage, the government, with help from the Commission, changed the rules to block that information. Why was that done? And for whose benefit?," he added.

Chennithala further pointed out multiple suspicious elements in the Maharashtra election process: “There were manipulations in the voter list, large-scale bogus voting, and artificial inflation of vote percentages. The vote percentages were not declared for several days—all of which raises serious doubts. In the Lok Sabha election, Congress and its allies won a sweeping mandate. Then how could the outcome reverse so drastically within just five months? This reeks of electoral fraud.”

Chennithala accused both the BJP and the Election Commission of evading transparency: “They are trying to hide the truth. But the Congress Party will continue to pursue this matter relentlessly until the truth comes out and democratic integrity is restored,” he concluded.