India, June 8 -- BJP leaders in Maharashtra have reacted sharply to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that the state's assembly elections last year were rigged. The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a recent op-ed titled 'Match-fixing Maharashtra' that the state's voters suspiciously increased by 3.9 million in five months before the election, and went on to detail the alleged process of the rigging.

Up in arms, BJP leaders ridiculed Gandhi's suggestions. While chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Gandhi's claims need not be taken seriously, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed there was a sudden increase in the number of voters before the 2009 assembly polls too, which the Congress-NCP had won. The ...