Congress is uneasy over EVM blame, with an internal survey showing losses in Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha support

There is unease within parts of the Congress over the party’s outspoken “blame-the-EVM” stance after consecutive defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra, states where the BJP had faced setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections only five months earlier.

Many leaders believe that the loss in Maharashtra shouldn’t have been such a surprise, as internal surveys ahead of the November 20 state elections had indicated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which includes Congress, might struggle to hold onto its gains from the June Lok Sabha elections.

The surveys highlighted that the Ladki Bahin Yojana, introduced by the Eknath Shinde government, was gaining momentum.

In fact, a survey conducted in October across 103 seats, just weeks before the polls, revealed that the MVA was losing ground from its Lok Sabha lead. According to the survey, the MVA was ahead in just 44 of these seats, down from 54 in the Lok Sabha elections.

In contrast, the BJP-led Mahayuti, ahead in 49 seats, was leading in 56. One seat was led by “others,” and two were undecided.

The survey also showed that the MVA had a clear lead only among Muslim voters, while the Mahayuti was ahead in all other categories—General, OBC, SBC, SC, SEBC, and ST. The NDA also led the MVA in all age groups, especially among younger voters. Among the 103 seats, Congress contested in 52, Shiv Sena (UBT) in 28, NCP Sharad Pawar in 21, and CPM and Samajwadi Party in one each.

“We knew we were losing, and by the end, it was clear the Mahayuti was ahead. But the extent of their victory and our defeat surprised us,” said a Congress leader who had seen the surveys.

A key question in the survey was about awareness of the Ladki Bahin Yojana, with 88% of respondents saying they were familiar with it. Furthermore, 82% reported having a beneficiary of the scheme in their family, and 17% said their voting choice had changed because of it.

During a meeting to finalize the manifesto, a strategist noted the growing popularity of the Ladki Bahin Yojana and recommended that the MVA promise Rs 3,000 monthly financial aid to women as a counter. By then, the Mahayuti had already promised to increase the monthly benefit under the scheme from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100.

“The leadership knew the MVA was struggling to keep up with its Lok Sabha performance, and support for the Mahayuti was growing among women voters. The data was available, but instead of addressing it, we’re still blaming the EVMs. This serves as a face-saving excuse for both state and national leaders,” said a Congress leader.

In the Lok Sabha elections, Congress had secured 13 seats in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) won 9, and NCP Sharad Pawar took 8. Together, the MVA claimed 30 out of 48 seats.

Ahead of polling, Congress also appealed to soybean farmers, pledging Rs 7,000 per quintal plus a bonus if the MVA was elected. However, Congress sources mentioned that the party leadership is serious about launching a campaign to bring back paper ballots. The Congress Working Committee, meeting on Friday, may pass a resolution expressing continued skepticism about EVMs.

This comes despite the fact that the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections had proposed a middle ground, offering a solution acceptable to both EVM skeptics and supporters. The manifesto had stated that voting would be through EVMs, but voters would also receive a machine-generated voting slip to be deposited into a VVPAT unit, allowing the electronic vote tally to be matched with the VVPAT slip tally.