`Dhool Chehre Pe Thi…`: CM Fadnavis`s Subtle Yet Sharp Counter To Rahul Gandhi`s Rigged Polls Allegations-OxBig News Network

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday countered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly Elections were “rigged” with a subtle yet sharp rebuke.

Speaking to reporters in Pune, the CM in a poetic manner, said that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has made the same mistake throughout his entire life. 

“Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe (Throughout your life, Rahul Gandhi, you have always made the same mistake; The dust was on your face, but you kept cleaning the mirror),” CM Fadnavis said, speaking in Hindi. 

#WATCH | Pune | Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says, “‘Ta-umr Rahul Gandhi aap yahi galti karte rahe, dhool chehre pe thi aur aap aina saaf karte rahe’ (Throughout your life, Rahul Gandhi, you have always made the same mistake; The dust was on your face, but you… pic.twitter.com/PCg0Dwi6qS
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2025

Earlier, he called the allegations “nonsense,” a “lie,” and “an insult to voters.”

“This means that Rahul Gandhi has accepted his defeat in Bihar. Till the time Rahul Gandhi comes to the ground and understands facts, lies to people, and gives false hopes to himself and his party, his party can never win,” Fadnavis told reporters.

“He will have to wake up and understand the reality. Otherwise, he will keep speaking nonsense, keep lying, and insulting voters… Neither does Rahul Gandhi understand what he’s saying, nor do people understand what he’s saying,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi’s Allegations

Rahul Gandhi, on Saturday, alleged that the Maharashtra Assembly Elections held in November 2024 were “rigged”, and claimed that the same will be repeated in Bihar Assembly Polls that are due later this year.

In a post on X, Gandhi addressed the Election Commission of India (EC) and asked to publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states, including Maharashtra.

“Dear EC, you are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions,” he wrote. 

“If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by:
• Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states including Maharashtra
• Releasing all post-5pm CCTV footage from Maharashtra polling booths.”

Dear EC,

You are a Constitutional body. Releasing unsigned, evasive notes to intermediaries is not the way to respond to serious questions.

If you have nothing to hide, answer the questions in my article and prove it by:

• Publishing consolidated, digital, machine-readable…
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 7, 2025

Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024

The Maharashtra Assembly Election of 2024 witnessed a victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance, securing a landslide win with 235 seats. The results marked a significant milestone for the saffron party, which emerged as the single-largest party with 132 seats. 

(with ANI inputs)