BENGALURU: State BJP leaders on Friday criticised the state cabinet’s decision to bring back the ballot system for elections to urban local bodies and panchayats. They termed it an attempt to postpone the elections, fearing the defeat of the Congress party.
State unit president BY Vijayendra said through this decision the Congress government has admitted that it came to power through electoral fraud. All 136 Congress MLAs and nine Congress MPs, who won the 2023 and 2024 elections, respectively, where EVMs were used, should first resign, he added.
Vijayendra said many cases regarding poll irregularities were filed in courts and poll violence and electoral fraud took place when the country had the ballot system. Most cases were filed against Congress leaders. People of the country have not forgotten the imposition of Emergency by the then PM Indira Gandhi after her election to the Lok Sabha from Raebareli was declared void by the Allahabad High Court, he added.
BJP general secretary V Sunil Kumar said the Congress government took this decision, fearing defeat in the coming elections. Whenever the Congress loses an election, it blames the electronic voting machines.
BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said it is a regressive decision taken by a backward-looking government headed by Siddaramaiah. When the whole world embraced technology, the Congress government has chosen to look back. “It is an irony that Karnataka, which is known its technological prowess and skilled workforce, is being forced to move backwards by the Congress government,” he added.