The BJP on Wednesday won 13 of the 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra in elections conducted through ballot papers, while the Congress failed to open its account.With the Congress at the forefront of campaigns against the CEC and EVMs, and in favour of ballot-paper voting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the party, asking how many seats it had won.“MLC elections were held in 28 seats across four big states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections were held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” PM Modi posted on X, along with a monocle face emoji.The Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) hit back, challenging the Centre to conduct all future Lok Sabha and Assembly elections through ballot papers.As per the latest results available till late Wednesday evening, the BJP won five of the 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, three of four in Karnataka, three of eight in Bihar and two of five in Maharashtra. Along with allies JD(U), JD(S) and Shiv Sena, the NDA’s tally stood at 16 of the 28 seats.In the Opposition camp, the SP registered gains in Uttar Pradesh, while the RJD and Prashant Kishor’s party, and the NCP (SP) made inroads in Bihar and Maharashtra, respectively.The SP won three seats in Uttar Pradesh, including the Varanasi Teachers’ constituency in the Prime Minister’s Lok Sabha segment, dealing a blow to the BJP. The party also won the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’ constituency and the Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ constituency, while it was leading in the Varanasi Graduates’ seat as counting progressed.The BJP, which held six of the 11 Uttar Pradesh seats before the election, retained five. It won the Meerut-Saharanpur and Agra Graduates’ constituencies, along with the Teachers’ constituencies of Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Lucknow.In Karnataka, NDA candidates swept all four seats in an embarrassment for Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who took oath only in June this year.In Bihar, Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party opened its Legislative Council account by winning the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, previously held by the Congress. The RJD captured the Patna Teachers’ seat, defeating five-term BJP MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav. The BJP won three seats, while independents secured two. Notably, five sitting members lost their seats.While Akhilesh, buoyed by three wins ahead of next year’s crucial Assembly elections, urged party workers to celebrate with restraint. In Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hailed his party’s victory. “After nearly two-and-a-half decades, our party has registered victory in these elections,” he said.Meanwhile, the Congress, after drawing a blank, renewed its demand for ballot-paper elections. Party media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, “If the Prime Minister is so confident that EVMs have no bearing on election results, let him prove his confidence in the BJP’s electoral prowess through action, not rhetoric. Commit to conducting all Lok Sabha and upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections through ballot papers.”Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal responded with a jibe, sharing a meme featuring Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a petrol pump with the caption: “Please check the zero”, ahead of the Opposition’s November 1 rally against the voter-roll revision exercise.