Mallikarjun Kharge’s pitch to dissolve assemblies puts own Congress government in Kerala in a spot

Mallikarjun Kharge demanded that the Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies be dissolved. He also called for fresh elections conducted with ballot papers. His demand followed protests and growing Opposition criticism of the Election Commission of India.

Kharge’s position was linked to longstanding Congress allegations about irregularities in electronic voting machines. In his speech, he described all elections as illegal and argued that new polls should replace them. The demand therefore challenged the legitimacy of existing governments, not merely one election.

The statement has created a political problem in Kerala. The Congress-led United Democratic Front won the state Assembly election decisively, yet Kharge’s words appear to include that election. The BJP is using this contradiction to question whether Kerala’s Assembly and government should also be treated as illegitimate.

Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a detailed exercise to verify and update electoral rolls. It can involve checking voter information, identifying eligible voters, and removing duplicate, shifted, or otherwise ineligible entries. The goal is to make voter lists more accurate before elections. The article does not explain the procedure in detail.

In Kerala, the main dispute was not initially over the exercise itself. The Congress and CPI(M) objected mainly to its timing because it was scheduled for February, close to the local body polls. The exercise was completed while Rathan U Kelkar, the private secretary of Chief Minister V D Satheesan, served as state Chief Electoral Officer.

The controversy grew as Opposition allegations against SIR mounted nationally. Yet Kerala saw little protest, apart from demonstrations over police action against Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. The BJP now uses the contrast to accuse Congress of questioning election processes selectively.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front won 102 of Kerala’s 140 Assembly seats. That result gave the alliance a commanding majority in the state legislature. Its principal Opposition, the Left Democratic Front, was reduced to 35 seats. The BJP won three seats.

The figures matter because they show that the UDF’s government emerged from a decisive electoral victory, not a narrow contest. The article presents the result as a central fact in the BJP’s argument about Congress’s position on election legitimacy. Kharge had called all elections illegal and demanded fresh polls using ballot papers.

That creates an unusual political contrast. Congress supports Kharge’s national challenge to election processes, while its Kerala unit governs after winning overwhelmingly. The BJP argues that if the election system was illegitimate, the Kerala result should also be questioned. It plans protests demanding Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s resignation.

Kharge’s demand puts Kerala’s Congress-led government in a vulnerable position because it calls all elections illegal, not just a particular national contest. Kerala’s UDF won 102 of 140 Assembly seats this year. If Kharge’s position includes that election, the government’s own electoral mandate becomes open to political attack.

The BJP has seized on this implication. Rajeev Chandrasekhar asked whether Kerala has a legal or illegal Assembly. BJP MLA B B Gopakumar told Chief Minister V D Satheesan that, if Kharge was correct, the Chief Minister came to power through election rigging. The BJP also highlighted Satheesan’s participation in a Delhi protest against SIR.

The immediate consequence is political pressure, not an automatic legal change. The BJP held a core committee meeting and said it would protest for Satheesan’s resignation. Congress must now reconcile its national criticism of election legitimacy with its Kerala government’s decisive victory.

The BJP’s double-standard accusation rests on Congress’s opposing positions. Nationally, Kharge called all elections illegal and demanded dissolution of legislatures followed by ballot-paper polls. In Kerala, however, Congress leads a government formed after the UDF won 102 of 140 Assembly seats.

The BJP argues that election doubts cannot be applied selectively. Rajeev Chandrasekhar asked whether Kerala’s Assembly was legal or illegal. M T Ramesh similarly asked why Congress questioned elections held after SIR while accepting the Kerala result. B B Gopakumar said Kharge’s statement also covered the Kerala Assembly.

The charge is politically effective because it links a national protest to a successful state election. Congress and the CPI(M) had not raised serious allegations against SIR in Kerala; their main objection concerned its timing. The BJP says this silence, combined with the UDF victory, exposes inconsistency and supports its planned protests.

If a state Assembly were dissolved, its current legislative term would end before its normal expiry. The elected House would no longer function as the state’s lawmaking body. The existing government would generally continue only in a limited caretaker capacity until a new government is formed, subject to constitutional arrangements.

Fresh elections would then be conducted under the Election Commission’s supervision. Voters would choose representatives for a new Assembly. After results, the person able to command a majority would be invited to form the government. If no party has a majority, coalition negotiations or another constitutional arrangement may follow.

The article does not describe these legal steps. It reports Kharge’s political demand for dissolution and fresh ballot-paper elections, plus the BJP’s call for Satheesan’s resignation. Politically, such a move would reopen Kerala’s 140-seat contest and test whether voters reaffirm the UDF’s 102-seat victory.

The Election Commission of India is responsible for administering elections and overseeing procedures intended to ensure a credible result. Electronic voting machines record voters’ choices, while electoral-roll verification checks whether voter lists are accurate and eligible people are included. Together, these systems support the election’s legitimacy.

Congress has alleged irregularities in electronic voting machines for years. The article also describes controversy around the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, which updates and verifies electoral rolls. In Kerala, Congress and the CPI(M) mainly objected to SIR’s timing near local body polls, rather than making serious allegations against the exercise itself.

The article reports growing Opposition criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and protests against the Election Commission. It does not establish that machines or rolls were manipulated. Whether an election is considered legitimate depends on verified procedures, credible oversight, and acceptance of the result, all of which are now politically contested.