Salient Points of BJP National Spokesperson and MP Dr. Sambit Patra’s Press Conference
Whether Congress sets aside the EVMs or not, the public has completely sidelined Congress. The politics of Congress has been reduced to mere accusations and frustration
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Is Mallikarjun Kharge implying that people from SC, ST, OBC, and the poor communities do not know how to operate EVMs? Mallikarjun Kharge's statement is an insult to the backward and poor communities
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BJP is winning due to the ‘Energy, Vikas, and Mehnat (EVM)’ of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji, while the Congress is losing due to ‘Rahul’s Bekar Management (RBM)’
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EVMs are fine, Rahul Gandhi is the problem. Congress should focus on changing Rahul Gandhi, not the EVMs. Mallikarjun Kharge knows where the issue lies, but he is unable to speak the truth
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On one hand, Mallikarjun Kharge is calling for the removal of EVMs, and on the other hand, the Supreme Court stated that "the losing party always finds faults with the EVMs"
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Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge raises questions about EVMs, but when the Election Commission organized a hackathon, no one from Congress participated
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After the Lok Sabha elections, an article in a foreign newspaper highlighted that India counted 64 crore votes in a single day, while in the United States, vote counting was still ongoing in one state. American entrepreneur Elon Musk also praised the Election Commission of India
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In the 2004 and 2009 elections, Congress won through EVMs, and in the 2024 elections, Congress secured 99 seats. When Congress and its allies win, EVMs are considered accurate, but when they lose, they claim that EVMs are faulty
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If there was a flaw in the EVMs, how did the JMM win in Jharkhand? Congress is raising questions on the victory of its own ally
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Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson and Member of Parliament Dr. Sambit Patra addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, on Wednesday. Dr. Patra criticized AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's call to reintroduce ballot papers and remove EVMs, stating that Congress cries foul whenever they lose in any state but has no problem with EVMs when they win elsewhere. Dr. Patra also targeted Kharge over his remark implying that people from backward and poor communities don’t know how to vote through EVMs, calling it offensive and disrespectful.
Dr. Patra criticised AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s statement demanding the replacement of EVMs with ballot papers. Dr. Patra remarked that whether or not the Congress party sidelines EVMs, the people of Maharashtra have completely sidelined Congress in every electoral state. In Maharashtra, the BJP-supported Mahayuti government secured a massive victory, while Congress managed to win only 16 out of 288 assembly seats. In states like Jharkhand, Congress is far behind the Bharatiya Janata Party. This reflects the decline of Congress’s public support base. The frustration is evident on the faces of Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and others. Congress rejects not only EVMs but also the judiciary, the Election Commission, the CBI, the ED, and even the Government of India. If the party has such issues with these institutions, they might as well move to Mars, where none of these exist. There, they can crown their "Shehzada" and live in peace. Congress’s politics now seem to be confined to mere accusations, counter-accusations, and frustration.
BJP National spokesperson stated that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's statement, claiming that the votes of SC, ST, OBC, and the poor were affected due to EVMs, is highly unfortunate and disrespectful. Whether Kharge Ji is implying that SC, ST, OBC, and poor people do not know how to vote in EVMs. Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks are a direct attack on the education and capabilities of these communities and an insult to the backward and poor sections of society. Kharge Ji believes that these communities are incapable of casting votes via EVMs or checking the VVPAT, simply because they belong to backward castes or the poor class. Such a statement from the president of a historic party like Congress and such a senior leader is unexpected and deeply hurtful to the SC, ST, and OBC communities.
Dr. Patra remarked that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge claimed they would reintroduce ballot papers at any cost and send EVMs back to the residences of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Minister Shri Amit Shah. The opposition must note that PM Shri Modi already has an "EVM" at his home-“E” for Energy,” V” for Vikas, and “M” for Mehnat. Dr. Patra explained that PM Shri Modi’s tireless work, like a machine, is why the BJP keeps winning. While the opposition blames EVMs, the real reason Congress keeps losing is "RBM"—Rahul’s Bekar Management. The problem isn’t with the machinery; it’s with the leadership. Dr. Patra quipped that Congress should consider replacing Rahul Gandhi before replacing EVMs. Even Mallikarjun Kharge, he said, knows where the real issue lies but is unable to admit it.
BJP National spokesperson stated that the need for change lies with Rahul Gandhi, not the EVMs. Mallikarjun Kharge had mentioned launching a yatra for ballot papers, with "yatra" becoming their new favourite term, especially after the success of the "Bharat Jodo Yatra." If Congress wants to start a yatra for ballot papers, they are free to do so. Congress has nothing else to do, and its leaders should not be sitting idle at home. They should always be engaged in something or the other.
Dr. Patra highlighted that AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge had seriously suggested replacing EVMs with ballot papers. Coincidentally, a petition was being heard in the Supreme Court at the same time, filed by K.A. Paul, which argued that EVMs should be removed due to the potential for tampering and that a switch to ballot papers was necessary. The case was being heard by a bench of the Supreme Court consisting of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Prasanna B. Varale. After considering the issue, the bench concluded that there is no problem with EVMs, stating, “Suspicion of EVM fixing is unfounded.” The bench further remarked that candidates who lose tend to blame the EVMs, saying that when they win, the EVMs are perfect, but when they lose, the EVMs are faulty.
BJP National spokesperson Dr. Patra stated that the saying "sour grapes," particularly applies to the Congress party. The coincidence is that while Mallikarjun Kharge is delivering a speech calling for the removal of EVMs and alleging issues with them, the Supreme Court simultaneously declared that there is no fault with EVMs and those who lose always blame the EVMs for their defeat.
Dr. Patra pointed out that while Congress wants to go on a yatra and demand the removal of EVMs, that’s fine. However, in 2017, when the Election Commission organized a 'Hackathon' inviting people from all political parties to hack the EVMs, a notice was issued well in advance, but no one participated. Before the hackathon, leaders like Saurabh Bhardwaj from the Aam Aadmi Party were seen on TV claiming they could hack the EVMs, but they did not participate in the hackathon to prove it.
BJP National spokesperson questioned what the Congress party was doing at home on the day of the hackathon. Perhaps Rahul Gandhi was on an overseas trip, possibly in Thailand or somewhere abroad. It is surprising that Congress does not take such events seriously. Despite being the president of a major political party, Mallikarjun Kharge stated that EVMs should be discarded and replaced with ballot papers. However, when the hackathon took place, no one from the Congress party showed up to represent them or prove their claims.
Dr. Patra pointed out that on June 4, after the Lok Sabha elections, an article was published stating that India had counted 640 million votes in a single day. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, had tweeted about how in his state, counting was still ongoing, and he had praised India for managing such a large-scale voting and counting process in just one day, while in his own region, the process was limited and still ongoing. This reflects the beauty of India's democracy. The Election Commission has consistently extended invitations for scrutiny. In the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, where the results favoured the Congress party, EVMs were used. In the 2024 elections, Congress emerged as the single-largest opposition party with double-digit seats. At that point, Congress was pleased with the outcome and did not raise any issues with EVMs when they secured 99 seats and became the largest opposition party. However, when Congress wins in other states, there are no concerns about EVMs.
BJP National spokesperson Dr. Patra expressed surprise that the victory of Hemant Soren and JMM is being questioned, stating that this is not how an alliance should behave. By accusing EVMs of being faulty, Congress is suggesting that JMM's win was the result of malpractice, implying they didn’t deserve to win. Dr. Patra criticized the alliance for attacking its own partner in this manner. The issue lies not with the machines, but with the individuals and leadership. As long as Rahul Gandhi remains at the helm, this behavior will persist.
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