‘Match fixing’ happened in Maharashtra elections… Rahul Gandhi explained how elections are stolen, BJP hit back

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi-Photo- ANI

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday June 7 , 2025 made a big allegation of ‘rigging’ in the elections and explained step by step how the results of Maharashtra assembly elections were rigged and benefited the BJP. He called it ‘How to steal elections?’ BJP has retaliated to Rahul’s allegations.

Rahul shared an article titled ‘Match-fixing Maharashtra’ published in an English newspaper on the social media platform X. In it, under the title ‘How are elections stolen?’, he explained step by step how according to him these elections were rigged.

Rahul wrote on X, the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections were a well-planned plan to harm democracy. He further claimed in the tweet that

BJP is now eyeing the Bihar assembly elections, which are to be held later this year.

Rahul Gandhi wrote, the match-fixing that happened in Maharashtra will now happen in Bihar and then it will reach every place where BJP is losing.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that BJP implemented the strategy in five phases and influenced the Maharashtra assembly elections and its results. Rahul said in his article that the Modi government changed the law related to the appointment of Election Commissioners in 2023 and tilted it in favor of the central government.

Rahul termed it as ‘manipulation of the panel for appointment of umpires’ and wrote that the selection committee formed under the new law includes the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha/Leader of the largest opposition party. This selection committee then recommends the name of the Chief Election Commissioner or Election Commissioners to the President.

Rahul raised the question that why was the Chief Justice of the country removed from the selection committee and a Cabinet Minister was appointed? He wrote, ask yourself. Why would anyone remove a neutral judge from such an impartial institution and appoint his own man?

Rahul Gandhi wrote in the caption of his article, how is the election stolen? The 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections were a well-planned plan to harm democracy. My article explains how everything happened? Step by step…

Step 1: Manipulating the panel that appoints the Election Commission.

Step 2: Adding fake names to the voter list.

Step 3: Exaggerating the voting percentage.

Step 4: Fake voting wherever BJP needed to win.

Step 5: Hiding the evidence.

Rahul further said, it is not difficult to understand why BJP was so desperate in Maharashtra, but rigging is like match-fixing. The team that cheats may win the game, but it damages the institutions and the public loses faith in the results.

He said, every aware Indian should see these evidences. They should take a decision after thinking and demand answers. Because this match-fixing of Maharashtra will now be repeated in Bihar and then there too where BJP will be losing. Match-fixed elections are like poison for any democracy.

BJP hits back…

BJP leader Amit Malviya reposted Rahul’s post on x and wrote, it is not that Rahul Gandhi does not know how the electoral process works. He knows it very well. But his aim is not to bring clarity but to spread chaos. He is repeatedly and deliberately trying to sow the seeds of doubt and confusion in the minds of voters about our institutional structure. When Congress wins elections… whether it is Telangana or Karnataka, then this system is said to be just and fair. But when it loses… from Haryana to Maharashtra… then the hue and cry and conspiracy theories start, and that too every time.

Malviya further wrote, all this has been taken from the strategy of George Soros. Systematically destroy people’s trust in their own institutions, so that they can be weakened from within and political advantage can be taken. India’s democracy is strong. Its institutions are capable and the Indian voter is intelligent. No matter how much manipulation is done, this truth will not change.

In fact, the opposition alliance INDI had registered a landslide victory in Maharashtra in the Lok Sabha elections. But when the results of the assembly elections came a few months later, Congress, Uddhav Sena and Pawar faction had to face a big defeat. Even election experts were surprised to see the results. All of them failed to fully gauge the BJP wave in the state.

The unity of the opposition parties in the Lok Sabha elections had given a shock to the BJP, while the results of the assembly elections dashed the hopes of the opposition. The results not only surprised the Congress and the alliance, but also showed that there was a big mistake in assessing the ground equation and mandate.