NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday targeted Congress over the results of MLC elections across four states, claiming that the grand old party has “failed to make its presence felt” in the polls conducted using ballot papers.The BJP’s strong remarks came amid Congress leader Rahul Gandhi‘s repeated allegations against the Election Commission and CEC Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities.Addressing a presser, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said, “The message is clear… the Congress party has failed to make its presence felt in these (MLC ) elections. More importantly, these elections were conducted using ballot boxes and ballot papers, yet the Congress failed to establish its presence. To put it in terms that the Congress leaders would understand better, the party has failed to make its very existence felt. This makes it clear that the Congress party lacks the ability to secure public support or the support of the voters concerned in any election, whether it is conducted using EVMs or ballot papers.”BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi launched attack on Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi as the BJP and its NDA allies registered wins in the MLC elections. He said, “The Congress party should understand that Rahul Gandhi, after spending nearly two weeks sightseeing and enjoying himself, has now returned to the limelight and is talking about launching a movement that could create problems for the Indian economy. He must understand that neither the public nor the MLAs are with him. The Congress party must understand that public support is earned through hard work, not through sightseeing and leisure trips.”“Our national president, Nitin Nabin, is travelling to Uttar Pradesh, while Amit Shah is in Punjab. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi had disappeared from the scene and was wandering around ‘Champa’. ‘Champa’ was the ancient name of Vietnam. After that, he expects to receive public support. I would therefore like to tell the Congress party… give up your habit of avoiding hard work, and the slogan of ‘vote theft’ will automatically disappear,” Sudhanshu Trivedi added.The BJP’s remarks came as the party and its allies registered wins in several Legislative Council constituencies, while the Congress faced setbacks in Karnataka and Bihar.
Karnataka: BJP-JD(S) sweep all four seats
In Karnataka, the BJP took a jibe at chief minister DK Shivakumar after the opposition BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all four seats in the state’s Legislative Council elections, leaving the ruling Congress without a win.The BJP’s Karnataka unit posted on X, saying, “DK, it’s done, bro!”It added, “NDA SWEEPS 4/4 Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in the MLC elections!”The BJP retained the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, while its ally JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from the Congress.
Uttar Pradesh: BJP vs SP battle
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) registered wins in Varanasi and Agra, while the BJP secured three of the 11 Legislative Council seats, with counting under way in the remaining constituencies, officials said on Wednesday.SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of resorting to alleged electoral malpractice to win the Uttar Pradesh MLC elections. He claimed that irregularities in the counting process had exposed a conspiracy to defeat SP candidate Sanjayan Tripathi.In a post on X, Akhilesh alleged that BJP leaders, their associates and officials had colluded to manipulate the counting process. He claimed that the alleged treatment of Tripathi had angered teachers and his community, and vowed that his party would oppose what he described as injustice and harassment.
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Bihar: Jan Suraaj opens account
In Bihar, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party opened its account in the Legislative Council elections after its candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, officials said on Wednesday.BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh had on Tuesday defeated his nearest rival, Independent nominee Bhushan Kumar Jha, to win the Tirhut Teachers’ constituency.Counting was still under way for some Legislative Council seats, officials said.
