The ruling Congress suffered a setback in Karnataka, losing all four seats, with the opposition JD(S) wresting one seat from the Congress and its ally BJP retaining three.
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Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party poked fun at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Congress performance in the 28 MLC seats that went to polls recently, soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi taunted the party for its dismal performance despite the use of paper ballots.
The MLC elections were held in 28 seats across four states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka – on October 23, the results for which were declared on WednesdayIn an X post in Hindi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “How many of the 28 seats did the Congress win? ‘0’Ballot Box, resign.”
Shah’s post carried a graphic with the text “28 mein se kitni seats jeeti” (“How many of the 28 seats did it win) and a red ‘0’ with quotation marks, accompanied by a laughing emojiThe illustration showed a man in a white kurta-pyjama, seen from behind, sitting on a ledge and holding a placard reading “Ballot Box, resign”In front of him is a board reading “MLC Election Result: Congress – 0”, next to a ballot box with a sad, teary face.
MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka.
Elections held using ballot papers.
Guess how many seats Congress won?
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2026
कांग्रेस ने 28 में से कितनी सीटें जीती…”0″
Ballot Box इस्तीफ़ा दो… https://t.co/1gmrxM0GXW
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 28, 2026
Zero Check Karlo Bhai!
#MLCElectionResults #BallotPaper https://t.co/hwX3rMf5Rw
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 28, 2026
बैलेट पेपर पर भी कांग्रेस का सूपड़ा साफ! अब तो EVM का बहाना भी गया!
– 4 राज्यों की 28 सीटों पर कांग्रेस का खाता तक नहीं खुला
– कर्नाटक में NDA ने सभी 4 सीटें जीतकर क्लीन स्वीप किया
– यूपी की 11 सीटों पर भी कांग्रेस मुकाबले से बाहर रहीअब राहुल गांधी किसे दोष देंगे, EVM को, बैलेट पेपर को या अपनी ही सरकार को?
जनता का फैसला साफ है, राजनीति बहानों से नहीं, भरोसे और काम से चलती है!
#SaveDemocracyRemoveAnarchy
— BJP (@BJP4India) October 28, 2026
Aryabhatta invented 0 to count the number of seats congress won.
#MLCElections https://t.co/xsuEbgdHMM
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) October 28, 2026
The use of ballot paper is a key demand of the opposition parties in their campaign against electronic voting machines (EVMs)Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on X, “Aryabhatta invented 0 to count the number of seats Congress won.”
She also shared a graphic with the text “Rahul, Zoom In” and “You lost on Ballot Paper also”, showing a hand pinching two fingers close together, with a tiny glittery object on the upper finger.
Union minister Piyush Goyal posted a meme showing Rahul Gandhi at a fuel pump with the caption “Zero Check Karlo Bhai!”The fuel dispensers in the image displayed “0.00” against the four states that went to polls.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Congress got 0 seats in the elections to 28 MLC seats held using ballot papers! The problem is neither the EVM, nor the Election Commission, nor the ballot paper… The problem is the Congress’ anarchist policy, intent of corruption, and failed and directionless leadership!”
The national convenor of the BJP’s media cell, Ashish Usha Agarwal, said, “Congress spent years blaming EVMs and demanding a return to ballot papersWell, the ballot papers are here and so is the reality check! In 28 MLC seats across four major states, Congress’ tally is ZERO!”
“Turns out, changing the voting machine won’t fix a party that has lost its political directionUnder Rahul Gandhi, Congress has found a way to turn every excuse into another embarrassment,” Agarwal said“The problem was never EVM vs ballot paperThe real problem is Rahul Gandhi vs electoral victory!” he added.
Union minister Annpurna Devi reposted Modi’s post on X with the comment “Zero” along with a laughing emoji.
The comments came soon after the prime minister taunted the Congress for its dismal show in the MLC elections despite the use of paper ballots.
“MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and KarnatakaElections held using ballot papersGuess how many seats Congress won?” PM Modi posted on X.
The Congress drew a blank in Karnataka while the BJP won five legislative council seats in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party three, as the results were announced on Wednesday for the biennial elections held in 28 Upper House constituencies across four states.
Elections to six teachers’ and five graduates’ constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, four each in Bihar, two each in Karnataka, and three graduates’ and two teachers’ constituencies in Maharashtra were held on October 23.
In Maharashtra, the BJP-led Mahayuti was leading in three seats while the opposition NCP (SP) was ahead in twoHowever, the saffron suffered a major setback in Nagpur, the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), where Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale in a closely fought contest for the Graduate constituency seat.
