Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge: ‘We do not want EVMs; we want voting on ballot paper’

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday demanded the replacement of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with ballot papers, alleging that votes from “SC, ST, OBC and poor communities are being wasted.”

“Votes of people from SC, ST, OBC, poor communities are being wasted. Set aside EVMs. We do not want EVMs; we want voting on ballot paper…Let them keep the machine at their home, at the home of PM Modi or Amit Shah…Then we would know where you (BJP-NDA) stand,” Mallikarjun Kharge said while speaking at the Constitution Day program at Talkatora Stadium here.

The Congress Chief’s scathing remarks come on the heels of his party’s crushing defeat in the Maharashtra Assembly election, where the Mahayuti alliance swept to power in a landslide victory with the BJP emerging as the biggest winner with 132 seats out of 280 member Maharashtra assembly, while its allies–the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and the NCP led by Ajit Pawar–won 57 and 41 seats, respectively.

While the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) managed to secure only 46 seats, with the Congress getting just 16.

“We should start a campaign on behalf of our party. We would like to urge everyone and all parties, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, that we should take out a rally just like the Bharat Jodo Yatra that we want ballot papers,” he added.

Kharge also congratulated people for not giving an absolute majority for the BJP in the 2024 general election, unlike in those of 2014 and 2019.
“Today, they (BJP) are not in majority. They are a minority government. They have put one leg of TDP’s N Chandrababu Naidu and another leg of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. PM Modi is walking using both of these legs. If anyone drags away one of their legs, the government will topple. I congratulate all of you that you people fought together,” he said.

He slammed the Modi government, accusing it of looting and giving undue favours to Adani, Ambani.

“You came (to power) and are looting and passing it on to Adani, Ambani and others like them. These people never thought for the nation…Modi and they think for each other. I am saying this because Adani had a major role in the elections in Maharashtra…Modi ji gave a lot of properties to him and he is unable to contain it. He is distributing it in elections on behalf of the BJP. They do not have any constitutional values. They lack institutional integrity. They do not have federal character,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Malikarjun Kharge said that there should be a two-day discussion on the Constitution Day so that people can know about the importance of the Constitution and are aware of their fundamental rights.

Speaking to ANI, Kharge said “Constitution Day was celebrated earlier as well, it is celebrated today as well and we want that there should be a two-day discussion on it so that people can know about the importance of the Constitution, their fundamental rights, secularism, socialism, equality. We can explain all these things to people through the Parliament, that is why we have written a letter and have also demanded that there should be a two day discussion in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker. I have written to the Chairman…”