‘Commit to Ballot Paper Elections’: Pawan Khera Hits Back at PM Modi Over MLC Polls Jibe

Congress leader Pawan Khera has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commit to conducting all future Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections using paper ballots, escalating the political debate over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The response came after Modi took a dig at the Congress over its performance in recent Legislative Council (MLC) elections held using ballot papers across four states.

Pawan Khera Puts Four Demands Before PM Modi

In a post on X on Wednesday, October 28, Khera said that if the Prime Minister was confident that EVMs had no bearing on election results, he should demonstrate that confidence through action rather than rhetoric.

Khera outlined four demands: conducting all future Lok Sabha and Assembly elections through paper ballots, suspending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, restoring the names of 13.3 crore voters whom he alleged had been illegally removed, and removing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while repealing the law that provides legal immunity to Election Commission leadership. ‘Guess How Many Seats Congress Won’: PM Modi’s Ballot Paper Jibe at Congress Over MLC Election Results.

The voter deletion figure and allegations of illegal removal were claims made by Khera and should not be treated as independently established findings. He dismissed Modi's remarks as hollow rhetoric, arguing that the Prime Minister should act on these demands if he was confident of the BJP's electoral strength.

Pawan Khera Hits Back at PM Modi Over MLC Poll Results

PM Modi Takes a Dig at Congress Over MLC Election Results

Earlier on Wednesday, Modi targeted the Congress over its performance in Legislative Council elections across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. In a post on X, the Prime Minister pointed out that elections for 28 MLC seats across the four states had been conducted using ballot papers and asked how many seats the Congress had won.

The remark was a reference to the Congress's failure to secure a victory in the seats declared at that stage of counting. The party suffered a particularly significant setback in Karnataka, where the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance won all four Legislative Council seats. MLC Election Results 2026: Congress Draws a Blank Across Four States as BJP-JD(S) Sweeps Karnataka.

Congress-BJP Row Over EVMs and Electoral Reforms

The exchange comes amid a wider political dispute over the use of EVMs, electoral transparency and the revision of voter lists. The Congress and several opposition parties have repeatedly called for a return to paper ballots and raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The BJP, meanwhile, has pointed to the Congress's performance in ballot-paper elections to challenge the opposition's arguments about voting machines.

Khera's response has brought the debate back to the question of whether paper ballots should be used for future parliamentary and Assembly elections. His demands also extend to the Election Commission's functioning and the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2026 09:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).