Congress Hits Back At PM Modi Over MLC Poll Results

The Congress party has hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his comments on the party's performance in the Legislative Council elections.

PM Modi had tweeted about the Congress's failure to win any of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka.

The Congress responded by pointing out its victory in Nagpur, where party leader Abhijit Wanjarri retained the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency seat, defeating BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes.

Congress leaders also raised questions over the BJP's electoral record in Varanasi, the Prime Minister's parliamentary constituency, citing the reduced margin of Modi's win in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and MP Pawan Khera challenged the Prime Minister's remarks, with Khera arguing that if Modi was confident in the BJP's electoral prowess, he should support the party's demand for ballot paper voting in future elections.

The exchange followed the MLC elections, which were conducted using ballot papers. The Congress leaders alleged that the results exposed the BJP's vulnerability and raised allegations of malpractice in the 2024 Varanasi election.

The Nagpur result carries political significance for the Congress as the city is closely associated with the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Wanjari's victory gave the party a counterpoint to the BJP's criticism of its performance in the wider round of Legislative Council elections.