‘Match-Fixing Will Come to Bihar Next’: Rahul Gandhi Attacks BJP Over Maharashtra Polls, Alleges Election ‘Rigging’
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging systematic “poll rigging” in last year’s Maharashtra assembly elections and warning that similar “match-fixing” activities could target the upcoming Bihar polls. Gandhi described the Maharashtra elections as a “blueprint for rigging democracy” while accusing the BJP of manipulating electoral processes.
“How to steal an election? Maharashtra assembly elections in 2024 were a blueprint for rigging democracy,” Gandhi said, outlining what he termed an alleged sequence of electoral manipulation that begins with “rigging the panel for appointing the Election Commission.”
Using a cricket metaphor, Gandhi warned that the alleged rigging tactics would spread to other states where the BJP faces electoral challenges. “Rigging is like match-fixing – the side that cheats might win the game, but damages institutions and destroy public faith in the result,” he stated.
“The match-fixing of Maharashtra will come to Bihar next, and then anywhere the BJP is losing. Match-fixed elections are a poison for any democracy,” Gandhi added, calling on citizens to examine evidence and demand answers.
The Congress leader’s allegations are part of broader opposition concerns about electronic voting machines (EVMs) following the Maharashtra results. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has called for returning to the ballot paper system, terming EVMs as “fraud” that puts the opposition at a “disadvantage.”
Opposition parties have consistently questioned the integrity of the Maharashtra election process, citing unexpected voter turnout patterns and alleged irregularities in the final hours of polling.
The Election Commission has categorically rejected Gandhi’s allegations of unusual voter spikes during the Maharashtra polls, calling the patterns “nothing unusual.” A senior EC functionary provided detailed statistical analysis to counter the opposition claims.
“During the assembly elections in Maharashtra, 6,40,87,588 electors who reached polling stations from 7 am to 6 pm voted. About 58 lakh votes were polled per hour, on average. Going by these average trends, nearly 116 lakh voters could have voted in the last two hours,” the official explained.
The EC pointed out that the casting of 65 lakh votes in the final two hours was “much below the average hourly voting trends,” contradicting opposition allegations of suspicious late-hour surges.
Election Commission officials emphasized that Congress’s own polling agents were present at every booth during the Maharashtra elections and did not raise credible complaints about irregular voting. The agents neither flagged concerns during scrutiny by returning officers nor before election observers the following day.
This factual detail challenges the opposition’s post-election allegations, as their own representatives were positioned to monitor the process in real-time.
The Maharashtra assembly elections witnessed a decisive BJP-led alliance victory, surprising many political observers who had predicted a closer contest. The scale of the victory prompted opposition questions about voter behavior patterns and turnout statistics.
Opposition parties have since maintained their questioning of the results, making it a recurring theme in their political discourse and a template for future electoral contests.
