The BJP said on Saturday that it stood for the credibility of promises made under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, while labeling the Congress party as one suffering from a crisis of credibility, intensifying their ongoing rhetorical conflict over unfulfilled electoral pledges.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the ruling party has expanded its welfare initiatives, including health insurance, free food grains, and cash transfers to farmers, emphasising a strategy focused on wealth creation followed by equitable distribution as the Indian economy has grown over the last decade.

“We believe in the creation of wealth and its distribution. The Congress fosters corruption and depletes wealth,” he stated, referencing numerous unfulfilled promises made by Congress-led governments across various states.

Following Mallikarjun Kharge’s remark labeling “Modi ki guarantee” as a cruel joke after Modi seized Kharge’s guidance on budgetary constraints in state poll announcements, the BJP launched new accusations.

Trivedi mockingly questioned whether Kharge was truthful in his statements made the previous day, implying that his critiques of the BJP were a reaction driven by pressure to reconcile his earlier remarks.

Trivedi highlighted several accomplishments of the Modi government, including the construction of the Ram temple, the abrogation of Article 370, the building of over 14 crore homes for the impoverished, the establishment of more than 51 crore Jan Dhan accounts, and a firm stance against terrorism from Pakistan, to demonstrate the government’s fulfillment of its commitments.

He noted that Kharge, having witnessed notable leaders like PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee manage economic challenges effectively, is now observing the Congress party struggling under the influence of urban Naxals due to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing Kharge’s criticisms on various issues, Trivedi pointed to data from the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) indicating a rise in account holders from 11 crore to 25 crore over the past decade.

He also referenced significant infrastructure projects, such as the construction of homes for the poor, 74 new airports, and an impressive pace of 37 kilometers of road built per day, claiming that these initiatives have created substantial employment opportunities.

“India is now ranked third in auto manufacturing and second in mobile phone manufacturing; if anyone is unable to recognize the country’s progress, there is a profound deficiency in their perspective,” asserted the BJP spokesperson.

The Congress on Wednesday asserted the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has understood that its exit is certain as the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance is strong and that all its candidates are in a strong position for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

Congress leader Sachin Pilot, also an observer of the Congress party for the Maharashtra elections, said that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is aware that its exit is imminent.      

The Congress leader stated that the party is fully prepared and that its ally parties in Maharashtra are strong. He mentioned that the seat-sharing negotiations occurred in a positive atmosphere and that the ruling party has recognized that their exit is inevitable.

“All the candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are in a strong position. The people here have decided to support Congress and its allies in the upcoming Assembly elections,” he said.

He also noted that the alliance’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections was impressive. “Wherever Congress contested, our candidates won 80 percent of the seats. We expect this trend to continue,” he added.

Pilot acknowledged that there have been some differences among party members regarding specific seats but assured that those issues would be resolved in the next 2-3 days, ensuring there would be only one candidate from the MVA for each seat.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh Chennithala, Congress in charge of Maharashtra, slammed the BJP, claiming that the party is undermining its alliances in the state.

“The BJP is dismantling its alliances. They are forcefully converting alliance partner candidates into their own party candidates. The people will respond to this,” he stated while speaking to reporters.

Earlier on October 26, Chennithala alleged that crores of rupees have been reportedly offered to two of its MLAs to join Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, ahead of state Assembly elections.

Chennithala made those allegations while speaking to reporters in the national capital. He also questioned the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Voting for all 288 constituencies for the Maharashtra Assembly elections are set for November 20 and counting on November 23. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

The Opposition on Friday accused the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led government of being allegedly getting the names of voters removed from the electoral rolls leaning towards the opposition parties, ahead of the State Legislative Assembly elections.

Addressing a conference, leaders of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) claimed there is no transparency in the functioning of the Election Commission (ECI), and its officers are working under pressure from the ruling parties. They said the MVA would raise the issue with the ECI.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and other leaders have called for the removal of the State Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla, to ensure the forthcoming elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.

Patole alleged that the Election Commission of India’s “Form no. 7”, which is intended to delete names from the voters’ list for various reasons, is being misused to remove the names of voters leaning towards opposition parties.

He accused CM Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of orchestrating this activity.

Patole further elaborated that names of voters inclined towards the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP) are being deliberately deleted from the voters’ list to achieve a political advantage. He firmly stated that this practice is motivated by the fear of the BJP losing in the elections.

Vijay Wadettiwar, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, expressed concern and urged the Election Commission not to accept “Form no. 7”, highlighting that constituencies where the MVA gained a lead in the Lok Sabha elections witnessed the removal of 2,500 to 10,000 voters from the list. The deletion of such a significant number of voters appears to be a deliberate move to influence the election results.

Ambadas Danve, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Opposition leader in the Council, raised alarm about the missing names of 6,000 voters in the Nashik Central assembly seat and asserted that similar issues were faced despite bringing them to the attention of the collector.

This was also observed in Aurangabad Central and Sillod seats, where approximately 27,000 voters were added to the electoral rolls, creating disparities in the voters’ list.

NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad demanded greater transparency and accountability, proposing that the EC should publish a white paper on the voters’ list. He criticised the poor print quality of the voters’ list, highlighting that discrepancies in names, addresses, and photos were inaccurately portrayed, leading to skepticism about the electoral process.

Nana Patole, continuing his plea, urged the Commission to cancel the appointment of 50,000 “yojana doots” who are employed to promote government welfare programs. He alleged that these individuals, paid Rs 50,000, are privately affiliated with the RSS and BJP, indicating a partisan approach in the execution of the election campaign.

Assembly polls in the state will be held on November 20, and votes will be counted on November 23.