Fadnavis says Rahul Gandhi has "lost his mind", not that votes were stolen

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a sharp attack on Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over allegations of vote theft linked to the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Fadnavis said Rahul Gandhi was trying to create distrust among people against constitutional institutions.

On the SIR process, Fadnavis said every political party gets a full opportunity to take part and raise objections to the voter list. He said parties can appoint a Booth Level Agent, or BLA, at every booth, and claims and objections can be filed against names on the voter list. He said that if an eligible voter's name is missing from the list, a claim can be filed for it, and similarly, if an ineligible person's name has been included, there is a provision to object to it.

Fadnavis also addressed questions being raised over the SIR exercise in West Bengal. He claimed that among the areas that saw a big drop in voter numbers during the SIR, at least 15 were areas where candidates of the Trinamool Congress, or TMC, won the election. Fadnavis asked how TMC candidates could have won in these 15 areas if the SIR had been used to remove the names of voters opposed to the BJP.

At a press conference in Nagpur on September 27, 2026, Fadnavis spoke to the media on several subjects including SIR and drought relief. During this, responding sharply to Rahul Gandhi's vote theft allegation, he said, "No vote theft has happened, Rahul Gandhi's mind has been stolen." He also said the Prime Minister should set up a committee that could, in Fadnavis's words, "find and bring back" Rahul Gandhi's mind.

Fadnavis further alleged that Rahul Gandhi was repeatedly questioning constitutional institutions by invoking the Constitution, and said this could damage people's trust in these institutions. He also reiterated that if an eligible voter's name is left out during the SIR process, that person can get it corrected through the claims and objections process.

The public debate between BJP leaders and the Election Commission over the allegations made by Rahul Gandhi and the opposition regarding SIR and the voter list is still ongoing. The Election Commission has recently said that important decisions related to SIR are taken by consensus.