Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 9 : Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday backed Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's recent allegations of large-scale "vote theft" during elections, asserting that the Election Commission is being "operated through the BJP office".
"We had been saying this for a long time now that vote theft has indeed happened across the country, and that EC is operated through the BJP office. What Rahul Gandhi has shown are not empty claims. He has unearthed 'vote theft'..." Thackeray told the media.
He urged the Election Commission to engage in an open debate with Gandhi instead of issuing rebuttals.
"I think instead of challenging, EC should debate with Rahul Gandhi...The information we have gathered is from their website itself. So, is their website and records incorrect?" he asked further.
Earlier today, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-SCP chief Sharad Pawar said two people had approached him ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024, claiming they could guarantee 160 out of 288 seats.
Speaking to the media, Pawar said that he arranged a meeting of these people with Rahul Gandhi, but ultimately both of them decided to turn down the offer, saying, "This is not our path."
"I remember that before the Maharashtra Assembly elections were announced, two people came to meet me in Delhi...They told me that out of 288 seats in Maharashtra, we guarantee you 160 seats. I was surprised, to be honest, I had no doubts about the Election Commission," Pawar said here.
"After that, I arranged a meeting with those people and Rahul Gandhi. Whatever they wanted to say, they said in front of Rahul Gandhi. But Rahul Gandhi and I were of the opinion that we should not pay attention to this; this is not our path," he added.
The allegations, raised nine months after the Assembly elections results were announced, come amid Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleging "vote chori" (vote theft) across the country, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) 'colluding' with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Congress leader has also specifically raised concerns over the alleged addition of lakhs of voters in Maharashtra just months before the state polls in 2024, alleging the votes helped the Mahayuti coalition come into power.
At a press conference on August 7, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "choreographed" by the EC to benefit the BJP, which he said appeared "immune to anti-incumbency."
Citing internal analysis, Gandhi said the Congress expected to win 16 seats in Karnataka but ended up with only nine. He said the Congress investigated seven unexpected losses, zeroing in on Mahadevapura, where he alleged vote theft involving 1,00,250 votes.