Zero seats, blame ballot box? Shah joins PM in mocking Congress over MLC results

Amit Shah joined PM Narendra Modi in mocking the Congress with sarcastic social media posts after the party failed to win any of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across four states using ballot papers. The BJP leaders' jibes came amid Rahul Gandhi's repeated criticism of EVM transparency and the Congress's demand for ballot-paper voting.Amit Shah mocks Congress over zero wins in ballot-paper pollsNew Delhi,Oct 28, 2026 23:34 ISTUnion Home Minister Amit Shah joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi in taking a swipe at the Congress with a sarcastic meme after the party failed to open its account in the 28 Legislative Council seats that went to polls across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka using ballot papers.In a sarcastic dig at Rahul Gandhi, Shah posted an Instagram meme featuring a figure holding a placard that read, “Ballot Box, resign!” The ballot box, depicted with a sad, sweating face, appears to wonder if it is next in line to face the Congress’s wrath.Above it was the mocking question: “How many of the 28 seats did you win‘Zero’” -- accompanied by a face-with-tears-of-joy emoji.Shah's jibe also comes at a time when Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly questioned the transparency of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), often calling them a “black box that no one can scrutinise.” Earlier, PM Modi also took a dig at the Congress, asking his followers to guess the number of seats won by the Congress and ended his question with a face-with-monocle emoji."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?” he asked. His remarks referred to the Congress's repeated opposition to electronic voting machines and its demand that elections return to paper ballots. The Congress contested 12 of the 28 seats but did not win any, while counting was still under way in some constituencies.The face-with-monocle emoji is generally used to express curiosity, scrutiny or scepticism. Modi used it to mock the Congress over its failure to win a seat in the elections.The Congress had previously held all four seats that went to the polls in Karnataka, where it is in power, but lost each of them. The JD(S) wrested one seat from the Congress, while its ally, the BJP, retained three.Polling was held on October 23 for six teachers' and five graduates' constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, four constituencies in Bihar, two in Karnataka, and three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies in Maharashtra. Counting began on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday in some constituencies.In Maharashtra, the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti was leading in three seats, while the opposition NCP (SP) was ahead in two. In Bihar, the Jan Suraaj Party opened its account, while the BJP, JD(U), RJD and an Independent candidate won one seat each.The Congress and several other Opposition parties have sought the use of ballot papers instead of EVMs in future elections, alleging that the machines were being rigged to benefit the BJP.They have also held nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.The BJP and its allies, meanwhile, said the MLC election results had exposed the Congress's “vote chori”, or vote theft, campaign.- Ends