Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 29 (ANI): BJP MLA Ram Kadam on Thursday criticised the Congress over its performance in the recent MLC elections, asking the opposition party to introspect on its electoral defeats instead of blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Speaking to ANI, Kadam noted that despite the elections being conducted through paper ballots, Congress managed to win only one seat in Maharashtra.
“Elections were held using ballot papers; out of 28 seats, the Congress secured only one, and that too by a very narrow margin. They won zero seats in Uttar Pradesh and nothing in Bihar; even in Karnataka, where they are in power, they failed to secure any seats,” Kadam said.
Targeting the Congress over its repeated allegations against the electoral process, the BJP MLA questioned, “Despite the use of ballot papers, the Congress managed to win only one out of 28 seats. Will the Congress finally accept reality? They keep losing elections, yet they repeatedly have the audacity to shift the blame onto EVMs or the Election Commission. Will they now engage in introspection and acknowledge that the responsibility for their defeat lies not with others, but within their own party? This is the question that arises.”
Earlier, Telangana BJP president N Ramchander Rao also criticised the Congress over its allegations against EVMs, claiming that the party had received its answer after elections conducted through paper ballots.
Referring to paper ballot elections, he claimed the results answered allegations levelled by the Congress.
“Time and again, whenever Congress starts losing elections, they blame either the Election Commission of India or the EVMs. Today, paper ballot elections were held in various parts of the country, and Congress failed to win even a single seat. Therefore, the Congress party has now received its answer...” Rao told ANI.
Rao pointed out that Congress itself introduced EVMs in the country.
“The Congress party has always blamed Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the BJP's victories. In fact, it was the Congress party that introduced EVMs in the country, with the first trial runs conducted under a Congress government in Keralam,” Rao said.
This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday took a jab at the Congress 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 Bharatiya Janata Party (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. (ANI)
"Congress keep losing elections, yet have audacity to shift blame onto EVM, ECI": BJP MLA Ram Kadam after MLC poll results
