Maharashtra Congress in-charge and Kerala congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala said when he assumed charge of Maharashtra in early 2024, the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi defied the Modi wave in the Lok Sabha elections. He said, the people of Maharashtra stood tall against propaganda and pressure, delivering a decisive verdict that sent the BJP alliance reeling.“BJP’s loss in Maharashtra, along with its poor performance in Uttar Pradesh, was pivotal in preventing it from securing an absolute majority at the national level. And yet, merely six months later, in the Maharashtra state assembly elections, that same Maha Vikas Aghadi — which was poised to win over 170 seats — was reduced to just 50. Is it believable that this staggering turnaround was due to governance or public sentiment? Even the most loyal BJP supporter would hesitate to make such a claim. If Prime Minister Modi himself could not sway Maharashtra, are we to believe that Eknath Shinde, whose politics is marred by betrayal and unprincipled opportunism, could command such a wave,” Congress leader asked.He further said this was not a coincidence. “It was a calculated and premeditated operation to distort the electoral mandate. Democracy in Maharashtra was not defeated — it was subverted. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra had 89.8 million registered voters. By the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, this number rose naturally to 92.9 million — a five-year increase of 3.1 million. However, within just five months, during the 2024 Assembly elections, the voter count inexplicably jumped to 97 million — a sudden spike of 4.1 million in less than half a year. This figure defies logic. Even the official estimate of the adult population in Maharashtra stands at 95.4 million. On polling day, the initial turnout reported was 58.22%. With no reports of long queues or late-night voting, it should have remained roughly constant. Instead, by the next morning, the turnout had miraculously jumped to 66.05% — an overnight addition of over 7.6 million votes, predominantly favouring BJP candidates,” Chennithala added.The Congress leader further went on to say that Rahul Gandhi exposed how Maharashtra, once a proud torchbearer of democratic values has become a cautionary tale of how institutions can be compromised, how power can be snatched instead of earned, and how silence can become complicity. This is no longer about one state or one election. It is about the soul of our democracy. We urge the Election Commission to break its silence. The people of Maharashtra — and of India — deserve answers.
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