How Congress won J’khand if EVMs have problems: Pralhad Joshi

Bengaluru(The Uttam Hindu): Union Minister for Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Monday criticised the Congress over the controversy of EVMs, saying how can the grand old party win the Assembly elections in Jharkhand if the voting machines have problems. “If EVMs have problems, how did Congress manage to win the elections in Jharkhand? Their leaders should argue responsibly when they face defeat. When Congress won 135 seats in Karnataka, the BJP was in power at the Center. Why didn’t they have doubts about EVMs then? Why do these doubts arise only when BJP wins Maharashtra?” the Union Minister asked while talking with the media.

He also criticised Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara for his stand against the now-controversial EVMs. “He (Parameshwara) was once a respected leader in Karnataka politics but now seems to be following the footsteps of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. It is disappointing that even he is now questioning EVMs,” he said. He added that Parameshwara is an enlightened and knowledgeable politician but he has also started to speak Rahul Gandhi’s language. Dismissing Parameshwara’s allegations that EVM tampering led to Congress's defeat in Maharashtra, he said, “His claim is completely baseless and meaningless.” Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said that the issue of EVMs is discussed at the national level. “It is an issue of national importance. The world is also looking at us and we should all examine these controversial EVMs,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.

On winning the Karnataka bypolls, the Deputy Chief Minister said that confidence, keeping everyone together, political strategy, and putting up the right candidates worked well for the Congress party. “People have faith in Congress and we will deliver what we have promised. Voters have given a clear message for the 2028 Assembly election,” the Deputy Chief Minister claimed. On November 23, Karnataka's ruling Congress won all three seats in the crucial by-elections, retaining the Sandur constituency while wresting the Shiggaon and Channapatna constituencies from the BJP and the JD-S, respectively. In the high-profile Channapatna constituency, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the NDA candidate and son of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, was defeated by Congress candidate, senior leader C.P. Yogeshwara by a big margin of 25,413 votes.

In the Shiggaon Assembly constituency, BJP candidate Bharath Bommai, son of MP and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was defeated by 13,448 votes by the Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan. In Shiggaon, Congress supporters have started chanting ‘bye, bye Bommai’ slogans. They also celebrated with the waving posters of Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan. Of the three seats, the Channapatna seat was considered the most high-profile, as it witnessed a showdown between the families of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D. K. Shivakumar.