MoS Somanna sees 2028 message in NDA’s council poll sweep

Bengaluru: Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Railways V Somanna on Wednesday took a swipe at the Congress, saying voters had rejected the party even in elections held with ballot papers, after it failed to win a single Legislative Council seat across four big states.

Referring to the biennial council election results, Somanna sought to counter the Congress’ long-standing criticism of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Read more: MLC results don't reflect govt's performance, Congress will introspect: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge


“First Congress alleged EVM tampering. Then it blamed the Election Commission of India. Later it spoke of ‘vote chori’ and demanded a return to ballot papers,” Somanna said in a post on X. “Today, the people of Bharat have answered them on ballot papers as well in the MLC elections: Maharashtra — 0; Karnataka — 0; Bihar — 0; UP — 0.”

Projecting the NDA’s performance as a sign of growing public discontent with the Congress government in Karnataka, Somanna said the results offered a glimpse of what could lie ahead in the next Assembly election.

Read more: PM Modi mocks Congress for failing to win MLC elections across four states using ballot papers

“MLC Elections: 4/4. Next stop: 2028 Assembly elections. That was just the trailer. The full picture drops in 2028,” he said.

Somanna, who represents Tumakuru in the Lok Sabha, made the remarks after the NDA won all four Legislative Council seats from the Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in Karnataka. The outcome is seen as a setback for the Shivakumar-led Congress government in the state.