BJP MP Khandelwal: Congress no longer relevant after MLC poll rout
Synopsis
The BJP won 13 of 28 Legislative Council seats across UP, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka — elections held on ballot papers, the very format Congress had championed as an EVM alternative. BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal is now using that irony as a political weapon, calling Congress irrelevant and daring the opposition to resign as it had demanded of others.
Key Takeaways
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal declared Congress 'no longer relevant' following MLC election results on 29 October 2026 .
The BJP won 13 of 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh , Maharashtra , Bihar , and Karnataka .
Elections were held via ballot papers — the method Congress had long demanded as a substitute for EVMs.
Khandelwal backed Home Minister Amit Shah 's critique of the opposition's 'habit' of demanding resignations.
He also targeted SP chief Akhilesh Yadav , alleging he is 'gradually losing his relevance' in politics.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Praveen Khandelwal on Thursday, 29 October 2026, declared that the results of the Legislative Council (MLC) elections had exposed the Indian National Congress as 'no longer relevant' in Indian politics, urging the party to introspect and refrain from politicising every issue. His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sharp dig at Congress over the same results.
Key Developments
The BJP secured 13 of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka. Notably, these elections were conducted using ballot papers — the very method Congress had long demanded as an alternative to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Khandelwal argued that this made Congress's earlier narrative untenable.
'This has made it clear that the Congress is no longer relevant in politics. Earlier, it used to be said that EVMs were hacked, and the blame was pinned on the Election Commission. Then allegations of vote theft were made, which had no basis,' Khandelwal said. He added, 'Now, the Congress was demanding elections through ballot papers, and the MLC elections were held using the same ballot papers. The Congress has now been wiped out.'
What the Government Said
Khandelwal also backed Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on the MLC results, defending the Home Minister's criticism of the opposition's habit of demanding resignations. 'What the Home Minister said is right because demanding resignations has become a habit for them. They demand resignations over every small or big issue, turn every matter into a controversy… So, when will they resign over the ballot box? What Home Minister Amit Shah said is completely right,' the BJP MP said.
Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition Under Fire
Khandelwal further alleged that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders would evade accountability for the results. 'Now, Rahul Gandhi and all the opposition parties will run away, hiding their faces, but the public is watching all of this,' he said.
Khandelwal's Remarks on Akhilesh Yadav
The BJP MP also responded to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav's remarks targeting the BJP over the Varanasi Legislative Council election results. Khandelwal alleged that Yadav, too, was 'gradually losing his relevance' in politics. 'While he used to speak with some sense occasionally in the past, he is now making baseless statements that have no foundation,' he said. This comes amid a broader BJP push to frame MLC results as a nationwide referendum on opposition credibility ahead of upcoming state assembly cycles.
Point of View
The party now owns the outcome of its preferred method. Yet framing a win in 13 of 28 council seats as a national mandate overstates the case; Legislative Council elections, decided by legislators and local body representatives, do not carry the same popular legitimacy as direct polls. The deeper issue Congress faces is not electoral mechanics but a credible political programme in states where it has been hollowed out. Khandelwal's remarks track a BJP communications template: pivot opposition process complaints into evidence of irrelevance whenever results permit.
NationPress
29 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal say about Congress after the MLC elections?
Khandelwal said Congress is 'no longer relevant' in Indian politics following its poor performance in the Legislative Council elections held across four states. He urged the party to introspect and stop politicising every issue.
How many MLC seats did the BJP win in these elections?
The BJP won 13 of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka. These elections were conducted using ballot papers.
Why did Khandelwal invoke the ballot paper issue against Congress?
Congress had previously alleged EVM manipulation and demanded elections via ballot papers. Since the MLC elections were held on ballot papers and Congress still fared poorly, Khandelwal argued that the party's earlier EVM narrative was unfounded.
What did Khandelwal say about Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks?
Khandelwal backed Amit Shah's comments on the results, saying the opposition's habit of demanding resignations was exposed by the ballot-paper outcome. He challenged the opposition to apply the same standard to itself.
What did Khandelwal say about Akhilesh Yadav and the Varanasi MLC result?
Khandelwal alleged that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was 'gradually losing his relevance' in politics, and that Yadav's remarks targeting BJP over the Varanasi Legislative Council result were 'baseless statements that have no foundation.'
