“Guess how many seats Congress won?” PM Modi mocks Congress after MLC polls held on ballot papers

28 MLC seats, 4 states, ballot paper voting: a complete state-wise look at who won and who lost in the Legislative Council elections

PGurus Newsdesk

October 28, 2026

PM Modi mocks Congress after it draws a blank in MLC elections held on ballot papers across four states

Opposition wants paper ballots; MLC polls used them, and Congress drew a blank. Here’s the full picture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday mocked the Congress over its showing in the biennial Legislative Council (MLC) elections, which were held on ballot papers, the very method the opposition has been demanding in place of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

In a post on X, Modi noted that elections were held on 28 MLC seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka using ballot papers, and asked: “Guess how many seats Congress won?” According to the results so far, the Congress drew a blank. It contested 12 seats, including four it had won in the previous polls.

PM Modi mocks Congress after it draws a blank in MLC elections held on ballot papers

Karnataka was the biggest setback. The ruling Congress failed to win a single seat there, losing all four contested constituencies. The Janata Dal (Secular) wrested one constituency from the party, while its ally, the BJP, retained three.

Polling was held on October 23 across 28 constituencies: 11 in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Bihar, five in Maharashtra and four in Karnataka. They were a mix of teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies. Counting began on Tuesday and was still going on in some constituencies, so the final tally may change.

In Maharashtra, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance was leading in three seats, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) was ahead in two. In Bihar, the Jan Suraaj Party opened its account, while the BJP, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and an independent candidate won one seat each.

The Congress and other opposition parties have renewed their push for paper ballots. The INDIA bloc announced a six-point programme that includes public rallies and a petition to the President, targeting Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Prime Minister. The alliance accuses the CEC and the government of manipulating voter rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and says Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are treating the Election Commission as a puppet.

The demand has been boosted by an Indian Express report on the commission’s internal working, which found that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded objections to SIR-related decisions on 14 occasions over 10 months.

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