Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directly questioned Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar regarding his recent statements about being approached by individuals who claimed they could manipulate votes in the 2024 Assembly elections. Fadnavis's pointed inquiry centers around why Pawar remained silent about this alleged offer for so long and whether he or Rahul Gandhi utilized the services of these "vote-riggers".

Pawar stated that before the last Assembly elections, two individuals met him and asserted they could secure 160 seats for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) by tampering with votes. Pawar claimed that he and Rahul Gandhi rejected the offer and chose to rely on the people's mandate. He further supported Rahul Gandhi's claims of election rigging and said that there should be a full investigation into the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi.

Fadnavis has questioned the timing of Pawar's revelation, asking why Pawar recalled the meeting with the individuals only after meeting with Rahul Gandhi. He further inquired why Pawar did not report the incident to the police or the Election Commission if he considered it a serious breach of electoral integrity. Fadnavis also criticized opposition leaders for publicly expressing distrust in the Election Commission while allegedly refusing to appear before it when summoned or submit sworn affidavits on their claims.

Adding to the controversy, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has also questioned Pawar about why he took the individuals who allegedly hinted at election rigging to Rahul Gandhi instead of reporting them to the police or the Election Commission.

Senior NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad confirmed that the individuals had approached Pawar with promises to influence the results in 160 seats but that Pawar immediately dismissed them.

Fadnavis stated that Pawar's remarks raised serious questions about political ethics and transparency. He also drew a comparison between Pawar and Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that Pawar might be following a pre-written script, similar to how Gandhi has been accused.

The political turmoil unfolds against the backdrop of previous accusations from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regarding discrepancies in EVMs and data fudging during the Lok Sabha elections, where they secured 30 out of 48 seats in Maharashtra. Fadnavis has called for a detailed inquiry into the allegations of "vote theft" to clear doubts about the integrity of the electoral process.