Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Congress on Wednesday over its performance in Legislative Council elections across four states, highlighting that the polls were conducted using ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines (EVMs).
In a post on X, Modi pointed out that elections were held for 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, before asking how many seats the Congress had won.
BJP gains across four states
The BJP has recorded a strong performance in the elections, sweeping Karnataka and making gains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Congress, meanwhile, had neither won nor led in any seat at the time of the reported trends.
The results have also seen the Samajwadi Party put up a contest against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, while Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal has challenged the ruling party in Bihar. Independent candidates and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party have also made inroads.
Election results revive EVM debate
The BJP’s performance comes amid Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote chori” and claims of irregularities in elections conducted using EVMs. The BJP has repeatedly rejected these allegations.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari argued that the results showed voters had rejected Gandhi’s politics irrespective of the voting method.
However, the MLC election results do not conclusively settle the debate over EVMs, as these elections involve a limited elect
