Ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar claimed that two individuals met him in Delhi, assuring him that his party could win 160 seats. His statement triggered a political stir across the state.
Responding to Pawar’s claim, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the statement as “Salim-Javed stories,” questioning why Pawar had not lodged a police complaint or informed the Election Commission if such an offer was made. “These tales should stop,” Fadnavis remarked.
Sanjay Raut Backs Pawar, Raises EC Concerns
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut supported Pawar’s claim, alleging large-scale irregularities in the Election Commission. “The same people also met Uddhav Thackeray before both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, promising to secure 60–65 difficult seats for us. But we trusted the Election Commission. Now that Rahul Gandhi has presented evidence, it should be investigated,” Raut said.
Fadnavis reiterated that the Election Commission had repeatedly given political parties and hackers an open challenge to hack EVMs, but no one had succeeded. “Instead of making public statements, they should face the Election Commission directly. Their strategy is ‘shoot and scoot’—make allegations and then run away,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also defended Pawar. “Pawar Saheb is an experienced leader and would not make false claims. If such offers are being made in the country, it indicates something is wrong with the Election Commission. If they believe Rahul Gandhi is lying, they should come on a public platform and answer the INDIA bloc’s questions instead of issuing threats. The people of this country will not tolerate it,” Thackeray stated.
