‘Button or ballot, result is the same’: Pralhad Joshi targets Congress over MLC poll setbacks
New Delhi: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday targeted Congress over its performance in the Legislative Council elections across four states, saying the outcome remained unchanged whether voting took place through electronic voting machines or ballot papers.
“Button or Ballot: Result is the same,” Joshi wrote on X, claiming Congress had suffered a “complete washout”, winning none of the 28 seats that went to polls in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Joshi questions Congress’s ‘vote chori’ narrative
The minister linked Congress’s electoral setbacks to its allegations of “vote chori” and criticism of democratic institutions. He argued that the party’s poor performance in elections conducted through ballot papers challenged its repeated questioning of EVMs.
Button or Ballot: Result is the same.
CONgress faces a complete washout, winning ZERO out of 28 MLC seats nationwide.
The same party that relentlessly peddles the ‘vote chori’ narrative and questions democratic institutions has failed to win a single seat—even in Karnataka, where it is in power, losing a sitting member’s seat. CONgress expresses its concerns over EVM very often, but even on ballot paper the result is the same.
When the verdict goes against them, CONgress blames the system. But no amount of excuses can hide the people’s mandate. @RahulGandhi and the CONgress leadership must stop crying foul and introspect on their repeated electoral failures.
— Pralhad Joshi (@JoshiPralhad) October 28, 2026
“When the verdict goes against them, CONgress blames the system. But no amount of excuses can hide the people’s mandate,” he wrote. Tagging Rahul Gandhi, Joshi urged him and the Congress leadership to stop alleging foul play and introspect on their repeated electoral failures.
Karnataka defeat draws attention
Joshi singled out Karnataka, where Congress is in power but lost all four Legislative Council contests. The BJP retained three constituencies, while its ally Janata Dal (Secular) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from Congress.
JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes, securing 10,810 votes against his opponent’s 9,902. The BJP won the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies.
Counting continues in several constituencies
The elections covered 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, eight in Bihar, four in Karnataka and five in Maharashtra. Counting was continuing in several constituencies in the available reports. Joshi’s assertion of a zero-seat outcome across all 28 seats should therefore be distinguished from a fully declared final tally. These polls involve specific electorates of registered graduates and teachers. Their outcomes reflect support within those groups and cannot automatically be interpreted as a verdict of the entire electorate across the four states.