CM Fadnavis must resign after Rahul Gandhi exposed vote theft in Maharashtra: Sapkal
Sapkal accused the BJP of seizing power with the EC’s help and said Fadnavis should resign
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday, 18 September, demanded the resignation of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, claiming he had “no moral right” to stay in office after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi exposed alleged “vote theft” in Chandrapur’s Rajura Assembly constituency.
Sapkal alleged that 6,850 votes were manipulated in Rajura and pointed out that even the state police — functioning under Fadnavis as home minister — had registered an FIR in the case.
“Rahul Gandhi has once again exposed how democracy is being sabotaged in Maharashtra. The theft of over 6,000 votes, now confirmed by an FIR filed by Fadnavis’ own police, proves that the Mahayuti alliance has no moral right to remain in power,” he said at a press conference in Thane after a party review meeting.
Accusing the BJP of “capturing power with the Election Commission’s help,” Sapkal said, “Fadnavis should open his eyes and resign immediately.” He further alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was “speaking like a political leader,” and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of “subverting democracy to turn India into Nepal or Sri Lanka.”
On economic issues, Sapkal hailed the recent Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms as a “victory for Rahul Gandhi’s foresight,” recalling that Gandhi had demanded such changes eight years ago. To mark the development, the Congress will distribute sweets to traders across Maharashtra on 22 September.
The state Congress chief also pressed for urgent relief for farmers hit by heavy rains, seeking compensation of ₹50,000 per hectare for crop losses, ₹5 lakh per hectare for farmland erosion, free seeds and fertilisers for the rabi season, and loan waivers.
Sapkal additionally criticised the state government for trying to “impose” a third language in schools. “Marathi is not just a language but our cultural identity. By thrusting another language, Fadnavis is stabbing Marathi in the back. The BJP is trying to erase India’s unity in diversity,” he warned, vowing strong resistance.
With PTI inputs