BJP accuses former CM Chavan’s nephew and PA of voter fraud
BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye rakes the controversy by calling out Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against voter fraud.
Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its attack on the Congress, accusing senior party leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s nephew, Indrajit Chavan, of being registered to vote in three locations. The controversy has escalated with fresh allegations against Chavan’s personal assistant (PA) and his family.
BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye rakes the controversy by calling out Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaign against voter fraud. In a social media post, Upadhye said, “Only a thief knows the thief’s path. Rahul Gandhi’s crusade against bogus voting is steeped in hypocrisy, as voter list irregularities are emerging from within his own party’s ranks.”
Upadhye alleged that Indrajit’s name appears on voter rolls in three locations with varying age details and addresses, calling it “a mockery of the democratic process”. He criticised the Congress for appointing Prithviraj, a close confidant of Rahul, as the chairman of its committee against voter fraud, despite his own family being under scrutiny.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said, “Rahul Gandhi must answer — who is the real vote thief?”
Supporters of BJP MLA Atul Bhosale have now accused Chavan’s personal assistant, Gajanan Awalkar, and his family of being registered in voter lists at two locations — Karad City and Wathar — during the 2024 assembly elections.
Congress’s Prithviraj was defeated by BJP’s Atul in Karad South Assembly constituency in Satara district in western Maharashtra in 2024. The Congress had never lost this seat since 1962.
BJP spokesperson Mohan Jadhav claimed that the Awalkar family not only had double entries, but also allegedly cast votes at both locations. The party has submitted documentary evidence, including copies of the legislative assembly voter lists, to back the claim. Jadhav has demanded that a criminal case be filed against the Awalkars for electoral fraud.
The allegations come at a time when Congress leader Rahul has been vocal nationwide about discrepancies in the electoral rolls, including claims of deceased persons being listed as voters and multiple registrations of individuals. BJP leaders argue that the Karad incident exposes double standards within the Congress.
Opposition leaders have also alleged that Prithviraj has continued to support Awalkar despite these accusations, raising questions about the credibility of Congress’s internal mechanisms to prevent voter fraud.
The Congress is yet to issue an official response to the allegations.
