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

Bengaluru, Oct 28 : BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi on Wednesday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations of electoral malpractice, saying the Congress' failure to win even a single seat in the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, conducted through ballot papers, exposed the weakness in its claims against the electoral process.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all four Karnataka Legislative Council seats, winning two Teachers' constituencies and two Graduates' constituencies, delivering a major setback to the ruling Congress in the state.

Addressing a press conference, Trivedi said the Congress' performance in elections conducted using ballot papers and ballot boxes contradicted 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.

He urged the Congress to stop raising allegations of vote theft and instead focus on strengthening its political activities. Trivedi also questioned Rahul Gandhi's proposed protests over electoral issues, asking whether the Congress leader could mobilise public support while repeatedly alleging irregularities in the electoral system.

The NDA fielded three BJP candidates and one Janata Dal (Secular) candidate and secured victories in all four constituencies, defeating the Congress nominees.

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 registered his fifth victory, defeating Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. Namoshi secured 15,596 votes, while Mattur polled 12,299.

The BJP also retained its hold over the Graduates' constituencies. S V Sankanur won the West Graduates' constituency for the third consecutive term, defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai, while K M Suresh secured victory in the other Graduates' constituency.

The results marked a clean sweep for the BJP-JD(S) alliance 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. While the Congress has repeatedly raised concerns over electoral fairness and alleged vote theft, the BJP has rejected the charges.

Trivedi maintained that the Karnataka results demonstrated that the Congress could not attribute its electoral setbacks solely to EVMs or electoral rolls, particularly when it had failed to secure victories in elections conducted through ballot papers as well.