BJP should hold elections with ballot papers: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today challenged the BJP to hold elections through ballot papers to clear doubts over the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs).

As votes for the Karnataka elections were counted and the BJP seemed set to emerge the single largest party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray agreed with Uddhav Thackeray.

"This is a victory for the Electronic Voting Machine," he tweeted.

Uddhav Thackeray pointed out that the BJP was losing bypolls but winning assembly elections.

"If you (BJP) trust yourself, hold elections through ballot papers once," Uddhav Thackeray said, reacting to the Karnataka election results.

"When so many people are asking for it, it will clear apprehensions (on the use of EVMs) once and for all," Uddhav Thackeray told reporters.

Elections come and go, he added when asked about the Karnataka elections being the first major poll battle after Rahul Gandhi became Congress president.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. One should keep working," he said.

The Sena leader congratulated the BJP for its success in Karnataka polls and hoped that people of that state would now witness 'acchhe din'.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the Congress and the Janata Dal (S) could together form the next government in Karnataka.

"If statesmanship is shown, this can happen as we together have a majority in the Karnataka Assembly," the Congress leader told the media.