Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday taunted the Congress over its dismal performance in legislative council elections held using paper ballots, prompting the opposition party to challenge him to commit to conducting future Lok Sabha and assembly elections using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The Congress drew a blank in Karnataka, while the BJP won six legislative council seats in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party three, as results were announced for biennial elections in 28 upper house constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka.
"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 said in a post on X.
Reacting to the prime minister's remarks, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said if Narendra Modi was so confident that EVMs had no bearing on election results, he should prove his confidence in the BJP’s electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric.
The Congress said Modi should commit to conducting all future Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections using ballot papers.
"Commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections by ballot paper going forward. Suspend SIR and restore the 13.3 crore voters illegally deleted from the electoral rolls. Terminate Gyanesh Gupta. Repeal the law that gives life long immunity to Gyanesh Gupta," Khera said on X.
Until Modi acted on these demands, his claims were nothing but hogwash, hollow words no one could take seriously, he added.
Counting began on Tuesday and was still underway in some constituencies on Wednesday. Elections to six teachers' and five graduates' constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, four constituencies in Bihar, two each in Karnataka, and three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies in Maharashtra were held on October 23.
In Maharashtra, the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti was leading in three seats, while the opposition NCP (SP) was ahead in two. The Jan Suraaj Party opened its account in Bihar, where the BJP, JD(U), RJD and an Independent each won one seat.
The Congress suffered a setback in Karnataka, losing all four seats. The opposition JD(S) wrested one constituency from the ruling party, while its ally, the BJP, retained three.
The Congress and several other opposition parties have been demanding that all future elections be conducted using ballot papers rather than EVMs.
(With inputs from PTI)