213 Days Later, Rahul Gandhi Still Can’t Digest Maharashtra’s Verdict

It’s been 213 days since the Maharashtra Assembly election results, and Rahul Gandhi is still stuck in denial, choking on a defeat he clearly neither expected nor knows how to digest. He has been busy spinning one theory after another — from mysterious voter list surges and fake voters to manipulated EVMs. But every single allegation has been dismantled, either through data-backed reports or by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself through data, whose replies have been as precise as they are unforgiving.

Now, he has come up with another theory targeting the assembly seat of Fadnavis itself, claiming that the voter list in Nagpur South West grew by 8% in just five months, implying a case of “vote theft”. He framed this surge as evidence of electoral manipulation, particularly targeting a BJP-held seat.

However, in making such a sweeping accusation, Rahul Gandhi conveniently ignored similar or even higher surges in voter rolls across constituencies where his party and allies won.

There have been multiple constituencies across Maharashtra such increase in new voters has taken place between the Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra Assembly Elections. Moreover, there are constituencies in the state that witnessed more than 7% increase in the number of voters where the Congress or its allies emerged victorious, everything verified by the Election Commission of India.

Constituency	Voter Increase (%)	New Voters Added	Winning Candidate	Party
Malad West	11%	38,625	Aslam Shaikh	Congress
Vadgaon Sheri	10%	50,911	Bapu Pathare	Sharad Pawar Group
Mumbra	9%	46,041	Jitendra Awhad	Sharad Pawar Group
Nagpur West	7%	27,065	Vikas Thakre	Congress
Nagpur North	7%	29,348	Nitin Raut	Congress

And these are not isolated cases. According to official ECI records, over 35 constituencies in Maharashtra witnessed a surge of over 3% in voter rolls between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, and in a large number of these, Congress or its allies emerged victorious. If a voter list increase implies “vote theft,” then Congress has been winning stolen elections — a claim they wouldn’t dare make.

Hence, Election Commission guidelines trigger audits when the increase >4%, and such checks apply uniformly, not selectively, in BJP zones

This data completely dismantles the narrative that a voter surge alone indicates foul play, particularly in BJP-dominated constituencies. If that were the case, then similar questions would need to be asked of constituencies where the Congress or NCP triumphed, which Rahul Gandhi conspicuously avoids doing.

Instead of accepting the electoral verdict with maturity, Rahul Gandhi has chosen to cast doubt on the process, targeting one constituency without acknowledging broader electoral trends. This is not just poor strategy — it reflects a deeper failure of leadership. As CM Fadnavis noted, it would have been wise for Rahul Gandhi to consult his own party’s winning candidates before launching an unfounded tirade against the electoral process.

When the Congress wins in constituencies with even larger surges in voter numbers, crying “vote theft” only in BJP strongholds isn’t just hypocritical — it’s outright dishonest.

In politics, data doesn’t lie — but sore losers often do. And Rahul Gandhi, it seems, is still perfecting the art.

And come on, Rahul, do not play cards with facts and figures, not your cup of tea!