On Saturday, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar made a sensational claim, alleging that two unidentified men had approached him in Delhi ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections. According to Pawar, these individuals assured him that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance could guarantee victory in 160 out of the 288 Assembly seats. The veteran leader further said that he introduced the men to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, but Gandhi declined their offer, stating that the Opposition should refrain from engaging in such practices.
Pawar’s remarks triggered a sharp response from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who questioned why such a serious matter was not reported to the Election Commission of India or the police. Fadnavis went on to suggest that the refusal to act on the alleged approach could indicate that Pawar and other Opposition leaders had considered using such individuals to their advantage. Calling the episode suspicious, he also mocked the Opposition for introducing these people to each other instead of exposing them.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut backed Pawar’s claim, asserting that similar individuals had met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray ahead of last year’s state polls. Raut alleged that these people promised to secure victory in 60–65 difficult constituencies through the manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Pawar’s revelation came a day after Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of “hiding a big crime” by refusing to share electronic voter lists and polling booth videos. Gandhi claimed this secrecy was meant to protect the BJP from allegations of electoral theft in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, particularly in Karnataka and other states. The Election Commission strongly rejected Gandhi’s charges, demanding concrete proof and asking him to submit a formal affidavit supporting his claims.
During the press conference, Fadnavis criticised Gandhi for failing to comply with the poll panel’s request for a sworn statement. Drawing an analogy, he asked whether Gandhi would refuse to submit an affidavit in court after taking an oath under the Constitution. Fadnavis accused Gandhi of making unverified statements, then walking away without backing them with evidence, warning that such behaviour could attract criminal proceedings if proven false.
Fadnavis also revived the long-standing “EVM hacking” controversy raised by several Opposition parties, questioning why none of them had participated in the Election Commission’s “EVM hackathon” — an event designed to allow political parties to test the security of voting machines.
In the Maharashtra Assembly elections held in November 2024, the BJP secured 132 seats, while allies Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) won 57 and 41 seats respectively, giving the Mahayuti alliance a comfortable majority. The MVA — comprising Congress, NCP (SP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) — won just 46 seats and has since alleged widespread discrepancies in EVM functioning and anomalies in voter data.
The controversy surrounding Pawar’s claim adds to the growing political tensions over alleged electoral malpractice, with both the ruling alliance and the Opposition trading accusations in a deeply polarised post-election environment.
