NCP–SP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed he was offered a ‘pre-poll seat guarantee deal’ ahead of last year’s Maharashtra Assembly elections, an offer he says he shared with Rahul Gandhi at the time. However, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the allegation as a “Salim-Javed script,” questioning the timing of Pawar’s disclosure.
Fadnavis Links Allegations to Rahul Gandhi’s Claims
Fadnavis also linked Pawar’s allegations to Rahul Gandhi’s recent ‘voter theft’ accusations.
“Why is Pawar disclosing this after Rahul Gandhi’s claims? Earlier, Pawar never endorsed Gandhi’s claims about (manipulation of) EVMs. No matter what, free and fair polls are held in India. Gandhi tells stories that sound like a Salim-Javed script, and what Pawar has said seems to be the same script,” PTI quoted Fadnavis as saying.
Pawar Says He Took Offer to Rahul Gandhi
Fadnavis’ reaction came hours after Pawar had said that two individuals met him in Delhi prior to the 2024 assembly elections in Maharashtra and expressed their willingness to assist the Opposition alliance in taking 160 of the 288 seats.
He brought them to Rahul Gandhi, yet the Congress leader also believed that the opposition must not indulge in such activities, the NCP (SP) president added.
Pawar also made a challenge to the reasoning of the EC seeking an affidavit and sworn information from Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations and EC Response
Last week, Gandhi claimed a “huge criminal fraud” in polls through “collusion” between the BJP and the Election Commission, citing “vote theft” in at least three states.
The Election Commission subsequently accused Gandhi of rehashing settled Supreme Court matters of poll irregularities and requested the Congress chief to submit a written statement on his allegations regarding wrongful inclusions in the voters’ list or apologize.
Fadnavis Slams Gandhi for Avoiding Affidavit
Fadnavis also criticised Rahul Gandhi for not complying with the Election Commission’s demand that he give a declaration of oath about his allegations of “huge criminal fraud” in the polls.
“Will you say I have already taken an oath under the Constitution if the court asks you to submit an affidavit?” he said, adding it was Gandhi’s usual tactic to tell a lie and go away (without substantiating it).
“Why doesn’t Gandhi give a declaration in a quasi-judicial manner? Because he is lying, and if caught, he will be liable to face criminal proceedings,” Fadnavis further said.
