Bengaluru
The BJP on Friday strongly criticised the Karnataka government’s decision to amend rules and use ballot papers instead of EVMs in the upcoming local body elections.
In a statement, the party alleged that by reverting to ballot papers, the Congress-led government has effectively admitted that it came to power through electoral fraud. BJP State President and MLA BY Vijayendra, in a post on X, demanded that the 136 Congress MLAs elected in 2023 and the nine Congress MPs from Karnataka resign and contest again using ballot papers to prove their legitimacy, failing which they must acknowledge their victory was tainted. Vijayendra recalled that historically, ballot-based elections have witnessed the highest number of complaints regarding bogus voting, fraud, and election-related violence. He slammed Congress, noting that even during the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, ballot-based election fraud was a key issue. He further alleged that repeated electoral defeats have driven Congress to raise baseless claims of fraud, prompting the Karnataka government’s decision to hold local polls using ballot papers.
