The BJP has taken potshots at the Congress over complaints about faulty EVMs, or electronic voting machines, which it blames for defeats in the Haryana and Maharashtra elections.
The BJP’s X handle took a sharp jab at its rival, pointing out the technology – which the Congress has repeatedly claimed can be, and is, hacked to ensure the BJP wins – also delivered a win in Jharkhand and a record victory for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll.
“If they lose, they start crying about EVMs. And, if they win, the Congress wins… It is not the EVM, it is the Congress’ intentions that are bad!” the BJP said in a Hindi post on X.
With the post was an image of Rahul Gandhi celebrating his sister’s Wayanad win. That image was sandwiched between pictures of an EVM and the messages – “Haryana, Maharashtra was lost because of EVMs” and “Wayanad was won because of Rahul and Priyanka’s strength”.
The post came a day after the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance of the Congress, and the Shiv Sena and NCP factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar held an anti-EVM protest.
The row over EVMs rears its head after every major election, with the opposition accusing the BJP of engineering victories by hacking the machines.
The BJP has steadily refuted the claims.
The snapbacks this week, after a thumping win for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra – have been led by senior party leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is widely expected to be named Chief Minister for a third time. Speaking to reporters after the BJP’s win was all but confirmed, he said, “JMM (and Congress) won in Jharkhand….The election there was ‘fair’… but if we get a huge victory in Maharashtra, then Election Commission is ‘biased’ and EVMs were ‘hacked’?”
The Congress repeated claims about the credibility of EVMs after last month’s Haryana election result. The party was expected, exit polls said so, to claim a convincing win in the heartland state, only for the BJP to script a late comeback and, eventually, a comfortable victory.
A furious Congress refused to accept the verdict, insisting EVMs had been hacked and raising questions about alleged delays in the Election Commission publishing voting data on its website.
The EC hit back hard, criticising the Congress for making “baseless allegations… when faced with inconvenient electoral outcomes”, and warned it, and other parties, against “unfounded and sensational complaints” during an election, including when votes are cast and then counted.
