Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis during a meeting with Graduate and Teacher Voters’, in Sangli. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Maharashtra Congress on Thursday took a swipe at chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after the party retained the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency in the legislative council elections. The final result, which came after more than 40 hours of counting, forced Fadnavis to delete a tweet he had posted the previous day, mocking the Congress for failing to win any seat in the MLC polls.On Wednesday, PM Modi had posted a tweet mocking the Congress for failing to open its account despite the elections being held using ballot papers.The Congress had reacted sharply and dared to hold all elections using ballot papers, asking how many seats the party had won.Congress candidate and sitting MLC Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale in the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency by 3,271 votes, securing 67,231 votes against his rival’s 63,960.Also read –‘Commit to ballot paper’: Congress dares PM Modi after his ‘how many seats’ swipe over MLC resultsFadnavis had posted the tweet in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dig at the Congress on X.“By deleting the tweet, Fadnavis has once again preserved Savarkar’s legacy! Even before the full results were in hand, in a show of firing a big arrow, Fadnavis tweeted. But that very arrow turned back and pierced straight into his chest! In the end, he was forced to delete the tweet,” the Maharashtra Congress said on X.“Mr. Fadnavis, scared already at this stage? This is just the trailer! In 2029, the people of Maharashtra will drop such a political bombshell on you that even this tweet of today will come back to haunt you! All the best, Mr. Fadnavis! Get ready for the next jolt,” it added.Wanjari, the sitting MLC, secured 67,231 votes against Kohale’s 63,960. The result dealt a setback to the BJP in Nagpur, the hometown of Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari, both of whom had campaigned extensively for Kohale.

Congress hits back at PM Modi over ballot paper remark

The Congress also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the party’s performance in the Legislative Council elections held across four states. Modi had questioned the Congress’s tally, pointing out that the polls were conducted using ballot papers.“MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” Modi wrote in a post on X.Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera responded by challenging the prime minister to commit to using ballot papers in future Lok Sabha and assembly elections.“If Narendra Modi is so confident that EVMs have no bearing on election results, let him prove his confidence in the BJP’s electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric,” Khera wrote on X.He also demanded the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the restoration of what he alleged were 13.3 crore illegally deleted voters, and action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also criticised Fadnavis over the deleted post, pointing to the BJP’s defeat in Nagpur, where the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters is located.“Respected Devendra Fadnavis Saheb, In the Nagpur Graduates Constituency, where you yourself took personal interest and went door-to-door to persuade the rebels to withdraw, in that very Nagpur constituency, in the area where the RSS headquarters is located, the BJP had to face defeat—the meaning of this is clear…… It is indeed regrettable that you had to delete your tweet; but the immense ego of power evident in your deleted tweet is not good at all. Anyway, I can understand. Perhaps you forgot that the election was held via ballot, so the tweet might have been made prematurely… Congratulations to the victorious candidate Abhijit Wanjarri, thanks to the graduates who gave their blessings in the form of votes, and best wishes to all the contesting candidates as well!” Pawar wrote on X.

MVA wins three of five Maharashtra MLC seats

With Wanjari’s victory, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three of the five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats contested on October 23, while the BJP-led Mahayuti secured two.NCP (SP) candidates Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav and Pratapsinh Patil won the Pune Graduates’ and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates’ constituencies, respectively. Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Sarnaik won the Amravati Teachers’ constituency, while BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade secured the Pune Teachers’ seat.

The Nagpur result followed more than 40 hours of counting. Kohale had led Wanjari after the second round, but neither candidate secured the required quota through first-preference votes. Wanjari eventually overtook his rival during the subsequent elimination rounds as preferential votes were transferred.The outcome dealt a setback to the BJP in a constituency it had traditionally held. Gadkari represented the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Council for 24 years, from 1990 to 2014.The results have triggered a political exchange between the BJP and opposition parties over electoral performance and the use of electronic voting machines. While Modi cited the ballot-paper polls to question the Congress’s performance, the party has used the results to renew its demand for ballot papers in future elections.