Meeting was held in Kathmandu on EVMs with 'Bharat Jodo' participants: Fadnavis

“A meeting was held in Kathmandu on November 15, 2024. Some people from Bharat Jodo attended this…issues like opposing electronic voting machines and introduction of ballot papers in Maharashtra and BJP-ruled states were discussed and resolutions were passed,” Fadnavis told the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly

Mumbai: Slamming the Congress and its allies for repeatedly calling for polling through traditional ballot papers despite Supreme Court rulings, BJP’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls a “meeting” was held on Kathmandu in November to work on the modalities to take the anti-EVMs campaign ahead.

Besides, he also alleged the use of “terror funds” in the recently-concluded Vidhan Sabha elections.

Fadnavis, who heads the MahaYuti-NDA dispensation, hit out at Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his Bharat Jodo campaigns.

“A meeting was held in Kathmandu on November 15, 2024. Some people from Bharat Jodo attended this…issues like opposing electronic voting machines and introduction of ballot papers in Maharashtra and BJP-ruled states were discussed and resolutions were passed...I have all the records of this,” Fadnavis told the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly during a discussion on the Governor's address.

"There are 180 different organizations associated with the Bharat Jodo Yantras. Out of these 40 organizations held programmes and published pamphlets for Bharat Jodo during the election period. Around 48 organizations have been previously named as frontal organizations,” said Fadnavis.

“There is evidence of foreign interference in Indian elections,” said Fadnavis referring to the incidents of Malegaon. “To win elections, vote jihad was spoken about. Seventeen demands were given to you and you keep quiet,” he said in what was a reference to the call given by Islamic scholar Khalil-ur-Rahman Sajjad Nomani, the spokesperson of All India Muslim Personal Law Board, to vote for the Congress-led alliance.

“This year, in Malegaon, some youth complained to police about Rs 114 crore in benami money being deposited into their accounts,” Fadnavis said slamming the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi-INDIA Bloc.

"The ATS is probing it as part of terror funding. There was evidence of foreign interference in Indian elections. The opposition is allowing their shoulders to be used by someone else,” he said and pointed out that nation is more important than elections.

Referring to urban naxals and his statement on attempts to fuel anarchy, Fadnavis said that the Naxal activities are being carried out in urban areas especially when the war against Naxalism is going on. “They refer to the Constitution, and create doubt in the minds of the people about every institution, such as the courts, RBI, and the Election Commission, so that people's trust should be lost…this would lead to anarchy,” he said.