Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 28: The dismal performance by the Congress in the by-elections for the legislative council seats in four states, including Karnataka where it is the ruling party, despite the polling was held through ballot papers, has given an opening to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mock at his principal rival attacking the ruling BJP for alleged manipulation of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and electoral rolls.
The by-elections were held for 28 MLC seats for graduates and teachers in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar of which the Congress contested 12 seats, including four it had won last time, but this time the party failed to even open its account in any of the four states. Its performance was most pathetic in Karnataka where as a ruling party it contested all the four seats and lost all four, conceding three to the BJP and one to the Janata Dal (Secular) of the former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, an ally of the BJP.
The Prime Minister spotlighted that the elections were held using ballot papers, throwing shade at the Congress which has been alleging tampering with voting machines and seeking a return to ballot papers. “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?” PM Modi posted on X, with a monocle emoji, conveying a sense of skepticism or irony.
Its dismal failure in Karnataka is being considered as a setback for the Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, raising questions about the party’s organisational strength, collective leadership, and its strategy ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. The results suggest that the Congress’s political messaging failed to resonate with sections of the graduate and teacher electorate, who are expected to be shaping public opinion on government policy.
In Maharashtra, the BJP won one seat and was leading in another, while the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde was leading in one seat. The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won one seat and was leading in another, leaving the Congress without a win.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won four seats and was leading in two, while the Samajwadi Party won two and was leading in three. The Congress failed to win a seat. In Bihar, the BJP’s Narendra Prasad Singh won the Tirhut Teachers’ seat, while its Sarvesh Singh was leading in Darbhanga Graduates and Dr NK Yadav in Kosi Graduates.
Independent candidate Vanshidhar Brajwasi was leading in Tirhut Graduates. The JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar won Patna Graduates, while Independent candidate and BJP rebel Rahul Raj won Saran Teachers. Jan Suraaj Party candidate Dr Suresh Prasad Ray won Darbhanga Teachers, while the RJD’s Dr Sanjeev Kumar won Patna Teachers.
Sharpening her attack on the Congress, and more particularly Rahul Gandhi, the BJP national general secretary Smriti Irani advised the Congress to take a “reality check” and pointed out that the party lost “even on ballot paper.” “Those who put the EVM in the dock and cry foul over “vote theft” have been given a resounding silence by the public even on ballot paper. In elections for 28 MLC seats in four major states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka, the Congress didn’t even open its account,” Irani posted on X. “The Prince and Company, which insults public opinion after every defeat, should stop making excuses and come down to the ground to take a reality check,” she said.
In Karnataka, the BJP-JD(S) alliance, which has recovered from earlier setbacks caused by cross-voting by MLAs in Council elections, is likely to intensify its attack on the Congress government over alleged corruption and administrative lapses. The losses in constituencies considered regional strongholds of Congress leaders could also trigger questions about their influence and campaign effectiveness.
The defeat of Puttanna, a five-time MLC and Shivakumar loyalist, in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency is particularly significant. His loss to JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath, despite both belonging to the Vokkaliga community, could put a question mark on Shivakumar’s standing in a region central to his political base. It follows the defeat of his brother, D.K. Suresh, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru Rural, where BJP candidate C.N. Manjunath won.
Several factors may have contributed to the Congress’s poor performance. Discontent over teachers’ transfers and recruitment and the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scam may have affected the party’s support. The change of the Chief Minister and strained relations between the government and the party organisation could also have weakened its campaign.
The results contrast with the Congress’s performance in Assembly by-elections under then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, when it won five assembly by-elections – Shiggaon, Channapatna, Davanagere, Sandur and Bagalkote. Those victories had strengthened the party, but the Council results show that its success in Assembly by-elections has not necessarily translated into support among graduates and teachers.
The Congress’s focus on attacking Mr Modi and the RSS, alongside concerns over infrastructure bottlenecks in Bengaluru and other parts of the State, have apparently contributed to the outcome. The absence of a woman minister in the state cabinet has also drawn criticism, especially among women voters.
Although Congress leaders have argued that the results are neither a verdict on the government nor a forecast of the 2028 Assembly elections, the defeat could intensify internal differences and groupism within the party. Dissatisfied leaders, especially the loyalists of Mr Shivakumar, may question KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad’s effectiveness and demand organisational changes, adding to the Chief Minister’s challenges. The forthcoming Hiriyur Assembly byelection will provide another test for the Congress and an indication of whether it can contain the political damage ahead of 2028.
Mr Hariprasad has said the party would conduct a comprehensive review of its organisational and political shortcomings. In a post on X, Mr Hariprasad said the Congress had been confident of winning all four seats, but the results had gone against its expectations. The party had accepted the verdict and would use it as an opportunity for introspection, he said.
Describing graduates and teachers as an “enlightened segment of the electorate”, he said the party would examine why it had failed to win their confidence and identify shortcomings in understanding their expectations, communicating its positions and maintaining sustained engagement with them.
“The result does not weaken the Congress party’s ideological and people-centric commitment. On the contrary, it heightens our responsibility to shape our organisational functioning, public outreach and political strategies more effectively,” he said.
The 84-year-old party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, after an INDIA bloc meeting in September had said across the country “citizens and political parties are raising grave concerns about functioning of the Election Commission.”
“For years, we have demanded answers on EVMs. We have raised questions about voter-list manipulation and unexplained changes in electoral rolls. Rahul ji showed it with proof that it was done in Mahadevpura, Aland, Haryana and Maharashtra. In the same manner parties of the INDIA group all raised questions and objections in this regard. But alas all in vain,” Kharge said, adding that the poll body “looked the other way.”
“On EVMs, our position should also be clear. These are machines that BJP decides to use as per its needs, in Rahul Ji’s words – to win, get a hung house or lose an election. So we cannot allow them to use these machines any further, we must go back to ballot votes to restore faith and confidence in India’s election system,” the Congress chief had said.