Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress on Wednesday after the party failed to win any of the 12 seats it contested in recent Legislative Council elections. Modi pointed out that these polls used ballot papers, questioning the party’s performance amid its ongoing criticism of electronic voting machines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress on Wednesday over its performance in the Legislative Council elections across four states, pointing out that the polls were conducted using ballot papers.

The Congress failed to win any of the 12 seats it contested across the four states, prompting Modi to post on X asking, "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?"

The Prime Minister's post comes amid the Congress's criticism of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and its allegations concerning the electoral process.

Elections were held for 28 Legislative Council seats across the four states, with counting beginning on Tuesday. The Congress contested 12 seats, including four it had won in previous elections, but failed to secure a single seat.

Karnataka biggest setback for Congress; ground lost in Bihar

The most significant blow came in Karnataka, where the Congress is in power. The BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance won all four Legislative Council seats. While the BJP retained three seats, the JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency from the Congress with its candidate A P Ranganath defeating sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes.

In Bihar, the Congress contested five of the eight seats but couldn't win any. One of its prominent losses came ain the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency, where Jan Suraaj Party candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated former Bihar Congress president and sitting MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes.

The victory marked Jan Suraaj's entry into the Bihar Legislative Council. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, BJP and an Independent also won seats.

Counting continues in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra

In Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress did not field candidates, the BJP won four of the six seats declared so far, while the Samajwadi Party secured two. Results for the remaining five seats were awaited.

In Maharashtra, the Congress contested three of the five seats but did not secure a win in the results reported so far, with counting continuing.