Congress Challenges Modi to Use Ballot Papers for Future Elections

The Indian National Congress challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct all future Lok Sabha and Assembly elections using ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). The dispute began after Modi posted on X, mocking the Congress party for failing to win any of the 12 seats it contested in Legislative Council (MLC) elections across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka, all of which were conducted via ballot papers.

Congress leaders responded by turning the Prime Minister's sarcasm into a policy demand. MP Pramod Tiwari specifically called for upcoming elections in Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh to be held via ballot, while Supriya Shrinate argued that Modi's remarks implicitly acknowledged that ballot papers are more credible than EVMs. Pawan Khera dismissed the Prime Minister's claims as "hogwash" and demanded the government prove the BJP's electoral strength through action rather than rhetoric.

Beyond the voting method, the Congress party demanded the termination of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the repeal of laws granting the commissioner lifelong immunity, and the suspension of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to restore 13.3 crore allegedly illegally deleted voters. Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party MP Praful Patel described the MLC results as a wake-up call for the Congress and its allies to undergo organizational introspection.