New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday criticised the Congress over its performance in Legislative Council elections across four states, pointing out that the voting was conducted using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
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? 🧐
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2026
In a post on X, Modi highlighted that 28 seats were contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka.
He asked how many seats the Congress had managed to win, drawing attention to the party’s poor showing in the polls.
The BJP delivered a strong performance, sweeping Karnataka and making gains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to the reported trends, the Congress had neither secured a victory nor taken the lead in any constituency at that point.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party put up a contest against the BJP, while Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal challenged the ruling party in Bihar. Independent candidates and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party also made gains.
The results have brought the debate over electronic voting machines back into focus. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged “vote chori” and raised concerns about electoral irregularities involving EVMs. The BJP has repeatedly dismissed these accusations.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed the outcome reflected voters’ rejection of Gandhi’s politics. However, the MLC results alone do not conclusively resolve the wider debate over EVMs.
