"Blamed EVMs earlier, defeated on ballot papers now": BJP's Sushil Kumar Singh backs PM Modi's remarks on MLC poll results

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Singh on Thursday came out in strong support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on the recent Legislative Council (MLC) poll outcomes, asserting that the Congress party's rhetoric on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) stands completely exposed after its "shameful defeat" in elections conducted via ballot papers.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Singh on Thursday came out in strong support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on the recent Legislative Council (MLC) poll outcomes, asserting that the Congress party's rhetoric on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) stands completely exposed after its "shameful defeat" in elections conducted via ballot papers. Speaking to ANI in the national capital here, Singh pointed out that the Congress had repeatedly questioned the credibility of EVMs and demanded a return to ballot papers, yet failed to secure significant support from the electorate even when votes were cast using ballots.

"The Prime Minister is absolutely right. The Congress members should answer this: when the elections were conducted using ballot papers, how many seats did they manage to win? They secured just one seat, barely enough to save face. So, what will they say now?" Singh remarked. Hitting out at the grand old party over its repeated scepticism regarding EVMs following electoral losses, the BJP leader said the opposition's narrative stands completely exposed before the public.

"Previously, they used to claim that EVMs were flawed and that elections should be held using ballot papers. Now that the election has taken place via ballot papers, they have still faced a shameful defeat. What will these Congress members say now?" Singh added. His remarks follow Prime Minister Modi’s comments highlighting the mandate in the MLC elections, which has sparked a fresh war of words between the ruling BJP and the Congress-led opposition over electoral transparency and voter trust.

Earlier, on October 28, PM Modi on took a jab at the Congress party following the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) clean sweep in Karnataka Legislative Council elections, winning all four seats. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections were held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?"

The Prime Minister’s sarcastic post comes as the ruling BJP and its allies recorded strong performances, including a 4-0 sweep by the NDA in the Karnataka Legislative Council polls, while the Congress suffered significant setbacks. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted that the BJP secured all four seats in the Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections despite the use of ballot papers.

Speaking at the Union Cabinet Meeting, Vaishnaw criticised opposition parties for holding rigid stances on voting mechanisms without considering actual outcomes. "Some people don’t even want to consider whether the electoral process should be conducted using ballot papers or otherwise. Just look at what happened in Karnataka; they used ballot papers, and the BJP won all four seats," he said.

Karnataka Legislative Council elections were held for two Teachers' and two Graduates' seats on October 23. The NDA ran three BJP candidates and one JD(S) candidate. In Bengaluru Teachers, JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated five-time Congress MLC Puttanna. (ANI)