'Dhool chehre pe thi aur...': Fadnavis dismisses Rahul Gandhi’s 'ECI fixing' claims, Tejashwi Yadav sees BJP control everywhere

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday responded sharply to Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments about the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing the Congress leader of misunderstanding the people’s mood and blaming the wrong institutions.

Speaking to the media in Hindi, Fadnavis said, “Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe,” which means, “All your life, Rahul Gandhi, you’ve made the same mistake; the dust was on your face, but you kept cleaning the mirror.”

Earlier in the day, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, strongly supported Rahul Gandhi’s claims. He said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, many constitutional bodies had been "hijacked."


Tejashwi claimed, “Since Modi became PM, all constitutional institutions have been hijacked. Before the Election Commission announces the election dates, the BJP IT Cell already knows the schedule. We are keeping a close watch. These institutions must work honestly. Everyone knows that they are working as if they belong to the BJP.”

He also said that all opposition parties were united not to form a government, but to “strengthen Bihar.”

Rahul Gandhi had earlier demanded that the Election Commission publish clear and digital voter rolls for recent elections, including in Maharashtra. He argued that telling the truth would help protect the Election Commission’s credibility.

On Saturday, Rahul posted on X (formerly Twitter), criticising the Election Commission’s response and said, “Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.”

In reply, the ECI described Rahul Gandhi’s claims of rigged Maharashtra polls as “unsubstantiated allegations.”

They said such remarks were an attack on the rule of law. The Commission also reminded that it had already responded to these issues in a detailed reply to the Congress on 24 December 2024, which is available on their website.

The Commission added, “Spreading misinformation shows disrespect to the law and demotivates thousands of polling staff who work tirelessly and transparently. Blaming the Election Commission after an unfavourable result is simply absurd.”

Inputs from ANI