Raut’s remarks follow Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of thousands of votes deleted in Karnataka, accusing Election Commission favoring BJP
Mumbai
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday endorsed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claims of “vote theft,” alleging that 90 per cent of Mahayuti MLAs in Maharashtra won due to rigging. Speaking to reporters, Raut said, “Such people have been elected in Maharashtra, and even people are unaware they are MLAs. They became MLAs because of ‘vote chori.’ Ninety per cent of MLAs of Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, or the BJP have won by stealing or rigging votes.”
Raut’s comments follow Rahul Gandhi’s recent claims that approximately 6,000 votes were deleted from Karnataka’s Aland assembly constituency. Earlier this year, Gandhi had alleged that nearly 100,000 voter names were removed from Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha constituency, accusing the Election Commission of facilitating BJP’s alleged election manipulation.
Rahul Gandhi, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting individuals undermining Indian democracy. He claimed a “certain group” systematically targets minority voters, including Dalits, OBCs, and adivasis, to suppress opposition votes. Gandhi asserted that he possesses “100 per cent proof” of vote deletion and tampering in multiple constituencies.
Discussing the Aland case, Gandhi said, “6,018 votes were deleted by unknown people using software and impersonating real voters. The deletion was noticed by a Booth Level officer by coincidence, revealing the fraudulent act.”
Sanjay Raut’s remarks amplify Congress’s accusations against the BJP in Maharashtra, aligning with the narrative that electoral manipulation has influenced multiple elections. Both leaders stressed that exposing these irregularities is crucial to protecting democracy and ensuring accountability in the electoral process.