Congress MLA blackens face to protest BJP rule in MP, alleges 'EVM hacked'

In a high-voltage drama, newly elected Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiyya performed a symbolic gesture of dotting his face with black colour as a mark of protest against the alleged oppressive regime of the BJP near Roshan Pura Chowk in Bhopal on Thursday.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who accompanied Baraiyya, put black colour first on the forehead (a tilak of sorts), then on the chin and cheeks before a large media presence.

During the recently concluded assembly election, Baraiyya made surprising claims that raised eyebrows. He boldly asserted that the Congress was on the brink of victory, predicting a significant setback for the BJP with only 50 seats. Furthermore, he added that if this scenario did not materialize, he would publicly blacken his face in front of Raj Bhawan.

Meanwhile, the BJP secured 163 seats out of 230, while the Congress was reduced to 66 in the 2023 state assembly election. Since then, Baraiyya has been subjected to social media trolling, with persistent questions regarding whether he would fulfill his promise to blacken his face. In a noteworthy show of solidarity, Kisan Congress leader Yogesh Dandotia blackened his face in support of Baraiyya on Wednesday, an incident that garnered coverage in the local media.

Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiyya emerged victorious in the assembly election with a substantial margin of over 29,000 votes, defeating BJP candidate Ghanshyam Singh Piraonia from Bhander in Datia district.

Phool Singh Baraiya, with a long and eventful political history, was a prominent and influential leader of the BSP around two decades ago. During that time, he served as an MLA representing the BSP. As the state president of the BSP unit in Madhya Pradesh, Baraiyya played a pivotal role in expanding the party's base in the state. He was regarded as one of the most trusted individuals by BSP supremo Mayawati. However, due to differences with Mayawati, he parted ways with the party and joined the Samata Samaj Party.

Subsequently, Baraiyya briefly became associated with the BJP, although he later chose to discontinue his affiliation with the party. He went on to establish his own political party named Bahujan Sangharsh Dal. Eventually, he joined the Congress. In 2020, the Congress fielded him as a Rajya Sabha candidate, but he was unsuccessful in winning the election.

On Thursday, a large number of supporters rallied behind Baraiyya in a march that traversed through New Market in the afternoon. The workers passionately shouted slogans and marched, holding placards advocating for various causes, such as 'protect the constitution,' 'voting by ballot and not EVM,' among others. The procession faced an interruption as the police, deployed in large numbers, halted the march at Roshanpura intersection. Prohibitory orders were enforced around Raj Bhawan, contributing to the police intervention.

Speaking on this occasion, Baraiyya blamed the BJP for the "misuse of the election process," alleging hacking of EVMs, with the intention of benefiting the party. He claimed that the BJP's victory of 163 seats was achieved through fraudulent means and not through a fair conduct of the election process. Baraiyya attributed the alleged manipulation of EVM machines by the BJP to a betrayal of the people's trust.

He declared, "An attempt has been made to destroy the constitution and the people's trust. I will continue to oppose these practices even if it costs me my life." Baraiyya highlighted that the act of blackening his face was a symbolic message aimed at the BJP, accusing them of attempting to tarnish the constitution and erode people's trust through fraudulent means.