PM Modi Targets Congress Over Decisive Losses in Four-State MLC Elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took aim at the Indian National Congress following the declaration of results for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka, where the main opposition party failed to win a single contest.

Posting on X, the Prime Minister highlighted that the polls were conducted via paper ballots—an indirect reference to recurring opposition claims regarding electronic voting machines (EVMs)—and pointed out that the Congress secured zero seats across all four states.

State-by-State Outcomes

• Karnataka: Despite governing the state, the ruling Congress suffered a complete shutout. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) alliance secured all four contested seats. Notably, JD(S) candidate A. P. Ranganath unseated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency by a margin of 908 votes. The BJP successfully retained the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’, and West Graduates’ seats, despite high-profile campaigning by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar.
• Uttar Pradesh: The BJP clinched victory in four of the 11 Legislative Council seats, while the Samajwadi Party took two, with remaining constituencies proceeding through late stages of vote tallying.
• Bihar: Both national parties experienced mixed fortunes. In a notable upset, the newly formed Jan Suraaj Party, led by Prashant Kishor, secured its first-ever Legislative Council seat as Suresh Prasad Rai defeated veteran Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency.