PM Modi questions Congress performance in ballot paper MLC elections
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a swipe at the Congress following elections to 28 seats in the Legislative Council across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. The polls were conducted using ballot papers and ballot boxes.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Modi questioned how many seats the Congress had secured in the elections.
“MLC elections in 28 seats across four big States — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” he wrote.
The results also prompted criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At a press briefing, BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi argued that the outcome indicated a lack of support for Congress among the relevant electorates.
Trivedi said the results were significant because the elections had been conducted using ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines (EVMs). He argued that the Congress’s electoral performance could not be attributed solely to the voting technology used.
He also criticised Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, over his political activities and remarks concerning the Indian economy.
According to Trivedi, the Congress leadership should reconsider its approach in light of the results. His comments followed the party’s broader criticism of the BJP and its positions on economic and political issues.
The exchange has added to the ongoing political debate over electoral performance, voting methods and the strategies adopted by the two parties. The remarks by Modi and Trivedi reflect the BJP’s interpretation of the results, while the election outcomes themselves remain the basis for assessing the parties’ performance in the respective constituencies.