Congress should introspect after MLC poll results, says JD(U), BJP leaders

New Delhi: The Janata Dal (United) and the BJP on Thursday criticised the Congress party over its performance in the recent Legislative Council elections, saying the party and its INDIA bloc allies should respond to the questions raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the use of ballot papers.

The remarks came after PM Modi took a swipe at Congress over the results of the Legislative Council elections held across 28 constituencies in four states using ballot papers.

In a post on X on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said, "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."

Speaking to IANS, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan said Congress and its INDIA bloc allies should respond to the points raised by the Prime Minister.

"Congress and its INDIA bloc allies should respond to the points raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his tweet. Congress has repeatedly demanded voting through ballot papers instead of EVMs. However, in elections held across 28 constituencies for the Legislative Councils in four states, Congress failed to achieve success anywhere except the Nagpur Graduates' constituency. In Karnataka, where Congress is in power, the BJP and JD(S) together won all four seats contested," he said.

Ranjan further said Congress had failed to open its account in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections and had suffered a setback in Bihar, where it previously had one MLC.

"This clearly shows that instead of demanding elections through ballot papers or other methods, Congress and Rahul Gandhi should reconsider the party's strategy on public issues. Rahul Gandhi should introspect and atone for bringing Congress to such a poor state," he added.

BJP MP Yogender Chandoliya also criticised the Congress for repeatedly questioning the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

"Congress had been demanding for a long time that votes should not be cast using EVMs, even though EVMs were introduced during the Congress government's tenure in Uttar Pradesh. Our view is that Congress managed to win one seat, opening its account with great difficulty. Now, will Rahul Gandhi accept this outcome or not?" he said.

Chandoliya alleged that Congress would once again raise questions about the election results, and that the party had developed a habit of making allegations over various issues.

"Getting even one seat seems like a huge achievement for Congress, as making allegations on everything has become a habit for them. Otherwise, the results across the country are not going to be in their favour, whether they talk about EVMs, SIR or ballot papers," he added.

The BJP won 13 of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, while Congress secured only one seat.

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