States » SouthPosted at: Oct 28 2026 3:02PM


BJP targets Rahul Gandhi after NDA sweeps all four Karnataka MLC seats

Bengaluru, Oct 28 (UNI) BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of electoral malpractice, arguing that the Congress' failure to win any of the four Karnataka Legislative Council seats, despite voting through ballot papers, undermined its claims about the electoral process.
The BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all four seats in the elections, winning two Teachers' constituencies and two Graduates' constituencies in a setback to the Congress in the state, where it is in power.
Addressing a press conference, Trivedi said the Congress's performance in elections conducted using ballot papers and ballot boxes challenged its allegations against electronic voting machines (EVMs).
"The problem is not in the EVM machines, nor in the voter lists, nor in the ballots; the problem is in the delusion in their minds and in the habit of not working," he said, urging the Congress to stop raising the issue of vote theft and focus on its political activities.
Trivedi also criticised Gandhi's proposed protests over electoral issues, questioning whether the Congress leader could mobilise public support while continuing to accuse the electoral system of irregularities.
The BJP leader cited the Karnataka results to argue that the Congress' electoral difficulties could not be attributed solely to the method of voting.
The NDA fielded three BJP candidates and one Janata Dal (Secular) candidate and won all four seats, defeating the Congress nominees in each constituency.
JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath won the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency, defeating Congress leader Puttanna, a five-time member of the Legislative Council.
In the North-East Teachers' constituency, BJP candidate Shashil G Namoshi secured his fifth victory, defeating Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. Namoshi polled 15,596 votes against Mattur's 12,299.
The BJP also retained its hold over the Graduates' constituencies, with S V Sankanur winning the West Graduates' seat for a third consecutive term by defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai, while K M Suresh won the other Graduates' constituency.
The results gave the BJP-JD(S) alliance a clean sweep across the four constituencies, covering nearly two-thirds of Karnataka and spanning 19 districts.
The outcome comes amid an ongoing political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress over allegations of electoral irregularities. The Congress has raised concerns about electoral fairness and alleged vote theft, while the BJP has rejected the charges.
Trivedi said the Congress should reconsider its approach rather than blame voting systems for its electoral setbacks. The Karnataka results, he argued, showed that the party's allegations against EVMs and electoral rolls did not explain its failure to secure victories even in ballot-paper elections.
UNI BDN
Tags: #BJP targets Rahul Gandhi after NDA sweeps all four Karnataka MLC seats
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