New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday alleged that the voter list in the constituency of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis grew by eight per cent in just five months, calling it 'vote theft.'

Sharing a news article on X, Gandhi demanded the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. He claimed that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) reported unknown individuals casting votes in Nagpur South West, where Fadnavis won last year by over 38,000 votes. Gandhi also highlighted media reports uncovering thousands of voters without verified addresses.

'In Maharashtra CM's constituency, the voter list grew by 8% in just 5 months. Some booths saw a 20-50% surge. BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes. The media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address. And the EC? Silent - or complicit. These aren't isolated glitches. This is vote theft. The cover-up is the confession,' Gandhi wrote on X.

'That's why we demand the immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage,' Gandhi said in the backdrop of the Election Commission's (EC) revised guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections, reducing the retention period to 45 days.

Reacting sharply, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has rebutted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's accusation that the voter list in his constituency was manipulated, calling it a desperate claim stemming from Congress's defeat in the state.

Responding to Gandhi's post on X, Fadnavis wrote, 'Jhoot boley kawa kaatey, Kaaley Kawaey se daryo... Rahul Gandhi, it's clear that the sting of your party's humiliating defeat in Maharashtra is growing deeper by the day.'

He dismissed the claim of manipulation, citing multiple assembly segments across Maharashtra that saw similar or higher voter growth, yet were won by Congress or its allies.

'How long will you keep shooting arrows in the dark? For your information, there are over 25 assembly segments in Maharashtra where the number of voters increased by more than 8% between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, and in several of these, Congress won.'

Fadnavis highlighted that over 25 assembly segments in Maharashtra recorded voter increases exceeding 8%, with Congress and its allies securing wins in several. He cited West Nagpur, with a 7% rise (27,065 voters), won by Congress's Vikas Thakre; North Nagpur, with a 7% increase (29,348 voters), won by Congress's Nitin Raut; Vadgaon Sheri in Pune, with a 10% jump (50,911 voters), won by Sharad Pawar faction's Bapu Pathare; Malad West, with an 11% surge (38,625 voters), won by Congress's Aslam Shaikh; and Mumbra, with a 9% increase (46,041 voters), won by Sharad Pawar faction's Jitendra Awhad.

'It would have been better had you spoken to your party colleagues, people like Aslam Shaikh, Vikas Thakre, and Nitin Raut, before putting out this tweet. At the very least, such a glaring lack of communication within Congress wouldn't have been so publicly exposed,' he added.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday slammed Rahul Gandhi over his repeated allegations of 'election rigging' in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, terming it as 'unfortunate'.

Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde suggested that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should approach the Election Commission or the courts, instead of 'confusing people' with repeated allegations.

'Rahul Gandhi repeatedly makes such allegations... The Election Commission has summoned him. If he has any problem, he should go to the Election Commission or the court. It is wrong to make such allegations repeatedly. This is unfortunate. He did not make such allegations when Congress won in Karnataka or Telangana,' Shinde told reporters.

He further said that the opposition bagged more seats during the Lok Sabha elections, and said, 'Then everything was fine'

'During Lok Sabha elections, they (opposition) got more seats in Maharashtra, and even then, everything was fine... He should go to the Election Commission, go to court and not confuse people by spreading such fake narratives...'

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) invited the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for an interaction to discuss the issues related to his allegation on the Maharashtra Assembly Election held last year, sources said on Tuesday.

According to the sources, the letter was sent via email on June 12 and was also received at his residence. The former Congress President has recently raised allegations against the poll body of 'election rigging' in the Maharashtra assembly polls. However, ECI has rejected the allegations.

Gandhi has further raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, citing the destruction of evidence as a potential indicator of election rigging against the backdrop of the Election Commission's (EC) revised guidelines on preserving video footage and photographs of elections, reducing the retention period to 45 days. (ANI)