CPI(M)'s Hannan Mollah: Congress lost MLC polls due to poor performance, not ballot papers
Synopsis
A top CPI(M) leader has broken with Congress's narrative on its MLC poll losses, saying the party's own underperformance — not the ballot paper system — is to blame. The candid rebuke from within the INDIA bloc, combined with remarks on the Form 6 controversy and a looming mass rally at Ramlila Maidan, signals growing friction inside the opposition alliance.
Key Takeaways
CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah on 29 October 2026 said Congress's MLC losses across four states stemmed from poor electoral performance, not the use of ballot papers.
Mollah specifically questioned why Congress underperformed in Karnataka , a state where it holds government power.
He acknowledged ballot papers can ease EVM -related public doubts but stressed this was not the primary factor in Congress's defeats.
On Form 6 , Mollah said the government acted 'wrongly and illegally' by asking existing voters to fill out a form meant only for first-time voters, backing the Supreme Court 's objection to the Election Commission .
He expressed confidence in a massive turnout at the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November , alleging government attempts to restrict it.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Hannan Mollah on Thursday, 29 October 2026, squarely blamed the Indian National Congress's weak electoral track record — rather than the voting system — for its poor showing in recent Legislative Council elections held through ballot papers across four states. His remarks add a significant left-wing voice to what has become a growing internal debate within the INDIA bloc over accountability.
Mollah's Critique of Congress
Speaking to reporters, Mollah did not mince words: 'The ballot paper is not the only reason. The reason is that the Congress party's performance has not improved, and that is why it lost. In any election, there are winners and losers. It did not get enough votes, so it lost. But they are talking about ballot papers.'
He particularly flagged Karnataka — a state where Congress currently holds power — as a puzzling case. 'I particularly do not understand why this happened in Karnataka, where the party is in power,' he said, suggesting that holding government office should have translated into an electoral advantage but evidently did not.
On EVMs and Ballot Papers
Mollah acknowledged that conducting elections via ballot papers could help ease public anxiety over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which have been a source of recurring controversy. However, he was clear that the switch in voting method was not a magic remedy for Congress's losses. 'With ballot papers, the vote count increases, and the doubts among people arising from the controversy surrounding machines are somewhat addressed. So, that is not the main issue,' he said. The Congress has repeatedly argued that EVMs are vulnerable to manipulation — a claim the Election Commission of India (ECI) has consistently denied.
Supreme Court and Form 6 Controversy
Mollah also weighed in on the Supreme Court's recent questioning of the Election Commission of India over the use of Form 6, a document originally designed exclusively for first-time voter registration. He said the government erred by directing existing voters to fill out the same form. 'Form 6 is meant for new voters and has always been part of the electoral process. However, the government had also asked existing voters to fill it out, which was wrong and illegal. That is why the Supreme Court said it was wrong,' he stated.
Mollah called for the creation of a new, purpose-specific form — tentatively labelled Form 7 — to handle data collection from existing voters, rather than repurposing a form with a defined statutory function. He noted that a final direction on the matter would depend on the court's eventual judgment.
INDIA Bloc Rally at Ramlila Maidan
On the upcoming INDIA bloc rally slated for 1 November at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, Mollah expressed confidence in a large turnout. He alleged that the government had initially moved the gathering away from Jantar Mantar and later restricted the duration of the Ramlila Maidan permit to three days, attributing the resistance to concerns over business disruption and the rally's potential scale. 'The government is afraid, isn't it? After that, they realised that more people were coming and that the gathering would become massive,' he said, adding that the protest's momentum could intensify in the days ahead.
The rally is likely to serve as a key gauge of the opposition coalition's street strength ahead of several forthcoming state assembly elections.
Point of View
He exposes a deeper problem: the party's organisational machinery is not converting incumbency into votes. The EVM debate, while politically useful for rallying cadres, risks becoming a convenient alibi that shields Congress from harder questions about candidate selection, anti-incumbency, and ground-level delivery. If the left flank of the alliance is making this argument publicly, it suggests the internal frustration runs deeper than any joint press conference would reveal. The Form 6 remarks, meanwhile, hint at a broader anxiety about procedural integrity that cuts across party lines — one that the Supreme Court will now arbitrate.
NationPress
29 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does CPI(M)'s Hannan Mollah say Congress lost the MLC elections?
Mollah says Congress lost the Legislative Council elections in four states because its overall electoral performance has not improved, not because ballot papers were used as the voting method. He noted that even in Karnataka, where Congress is in power, the party failed to perform adequately.
What is the controversy over Form 6 and the Election Commission?
Form 6 is a statutory document meant exclusively for first-time voter registration. The Supreme Court questioned the Election Commission after the government reportedly directed existing voters to fill out the same form, which Mollah called 'wrong and illegal.' He suggested a new form, such as Form 7, should be created for collecting data from existing voters.
What is the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan about?
The INDIA bloc has scheduled a rally at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi for 1 November. Mollah expects a massive gathering and alleges the government tried to restrict the event by initially denying permission at Jantar Mantar and later limiting the Ramlila Maidan permit to three days.
Has CPI(M) supported the Congress position on EVMs?
CPI(M)'s Mollah acknowledged that ballot paper elections can help address public doubts about EVMs but stopped short of endorsing Congress's position that EVMs caused its defeats. He maintained that improving party performance remains the primary responsibility, regardless of the voting system used.
What happens next following the Supreme Court's remarks on Form 6?
The Supreme Court has questioned the Election Commission's use of Form 6 for existing voters, and a final judgment is awaited. Mollah has called for a new, purpose-specific form to be introduced, and the court's ruling is expected to clarify the permissible scope of Form 6 in future elections.
