Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his call to Gen Z to resist alleged “vote theft,” dismissing the appeal as ineffective and irrelevant.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2025, Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi held little significance for India’s youth.
“Whoever is in love with Nepal can stay there… the young people of India don’t have the time to protest. Gen Z thinks differently. Rahul Gandhi does not have anyone else to bring down the government. His appeal to Gen Z will not work,” Fadnavis remarked.
His comments came days after Rahul Gandhi, in his second press conference on the issue, accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of shielding “vote thieves” and specifically targeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Hours after that presser on September 18, Gandhi took to X, appealing to Gen Z and students to “save the Constitution, protect democracy, and stop vote theft.”
At the press conference, the Congress leader focused on alleged voter list deletions, claiming the ECI had stalled a Karnataka CID investigation into electoral fraud in the Aland Assembly segment of Kalaburagi district for over two years.
“February 2023 investigation is started, March 2023 Karnataka CID writes to ECI asking for all details. Incomplete details are given in August, with which no investigation can happen. Whatever was not needed was given, whatever was needed that was not given,” Gandhi alleged.
He further demanded the ECI release the requested data within a week, noting that the Karnataka Election Commission had also sought details but received no response.
The ruling BJP has consistently dismissed Gandhi’s allegations as baseless, framing them as attempts to discredit democratic institutions ahead of elections.
