09 August,2025 06:34 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sharad Pawar claimed that before the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, two individuals approached him. File Pic
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP SP) chief Sharad Pawar has claimed that before the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, two individuals approached him with a "guarantee" to help win 160 out of the 288 seats by manipulating votes, reported the IANS.
However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked why Pawar spoke up only now about two men meeting him and offering to ensure the Opposition's victory in the last year's state elections.
"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," CM Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai, according to the PTI.
Speaking at a press conference alongside party leaders including Shashikant Shinde, Anil Deshmukh, Jitendra Awhad, and Rohit Pawar, the veteran leader said he was shocked by the offer and ignored the individuals.
"I did not suspect the Election Commission at the time. I arranged a meeting between these two people and Rahul Gandhi. After hearing them out, both of us decided not to go down that path. We chose to go to the people and seek their support directly," Sharad Pawar said, according to the IANS.
He added that the individuals had clearly spoken about "vote manipulation" in 160 constituencies. Pawar reiterated that both he and Rahul Gandhi firmly rejected the idea, staying committed to democratic values.
Backing Rahul Gandhi's recent claims of election rigging, Sharad Pawar said, "There should be a full investigation into the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi. We want answers from the Election Commission, not from the BJP," as per the IANS.
Meanwhile, senior NCPP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad confirmed the incident, saying the individuals had approached Pawar with promises to influence the results in 160 seats.
"But Pawar Saheb immediately dismissed them, saying this is not possible," Awhad said, the IANS reported.
However, CM Fadnavis rejected the allegations and questioned the timing. "Why did Pawar suddenly remember this now, and that too after meeting Rahul Gandhi? Why didn't he say anything earlier?" he asked.
CM Fadnavis compared the remarks to Rahul Gandhi's recent statements, calling them "imaginary stories."
He also defended India's election system, saying, "Elections in India are free and fair. These people create confusion publicly but don't turn up when called by the Election Commission. They refuse to submit affidavits because they know they can be held accountable."
(with IANS and PTI inputs)
