"The fault is not EVM, but in Rahul Gandhi," says BJP's Sanjay Tandon

While addressing the party's state level organisation festival meeting, he retorted to the questions on EVMs raised by Congress president Mallikharjun Kharge.

"Congress had to face a crushing defeat in the Maharashtra assembly elections not because of EVMs, but because of the poor management of its leadership. Kharge to change Rahul, not EVMs. He should consider bringing someone else in his place," Tandon said during his speech.

"The fault is not in the machine, but in the leadership of Congress. Congress should change Rahul Gandhi, not EVM. No opponent gives such unsolicited advice, but there should be enough courtesy in politics that after sitting together in the assembly and parliament for so many years, we can give them unsolicited advice," he added.

He further hit out at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the party has lost elections due to "RBM-Rahul's Bad Management."

"Congress president Kharge is talking about keeping EVMs aside, while the public has kept Congress aside," Tandon said.

He further said that the Congress has been sidelined in Maharashtra, highlighting the party's poor performance of winning just 16 seats in the state.

"In Maharashtra, the BJP-supported Mahayuti government has registered a landslide victory, while the Congress has won only 16 seats out of 288 assembly seats. This clearly shows the decline in the support base of the Congress," he said.

Also mentioning the Jharkhand elections, he said that despite the JMM-led Mahagathbandan winning the assembly elections (which Congress is part of), the Congress is still far behind that the BJP. In the Jharkhand assembly elections, BJP won 21 seats whereas Congress won 16 seats. "In fact, this crushing defeat of Congress has disappointed the party, due to which Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of Congress and opposition are making absurd statements in anger," he said. (ANI)