Congress Says US Midterm Results Expose Flaws in ONOE Proposal
4 Nov 2026 5:00 PM IST4 Nov 2026 5:00 PM IST
Jairam Ramesh says midterm polls enforce accountability, arguing that 'One Nation, One Election' would weaken this democratic mechanism.
The Congress on Wednesday cited the results of the US mid-term elections to stress on the power of such polls in enforcing accountability, and claimed that the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal advocated by the Modi government would significantly blunt that instrument. In a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump, American voters gave the opposition Democratic Party control of the US Congress and flipped key gubernatorial posts in widely watched elections that will have consequences far beyond America.
Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh described the results as a "stunning verdict" against Trump. "Personalities aside, the results demonstrate the power of mid-term polls to enforce accountability. In our own country, the ONOE (One Nation, One Election) idea that is being advocated by the Modi government will significantly blunt that instrument," Ramesh said on X.
The US mid-term elections have also restored the institutional balance that was at the core of a constitutional democracy, he said. "That balance has been dangerously disturbed in India since 2014," Ramesh added. Congress general secretary K C Venugopal also took a swipe at the Modi government over the US mid-term polls.
"Change is in the air. The mid-term results in the US are a powerful demonstration of how people's collective strength can take on and defeat authoritarian tendencies, even when they are backed by big corporations, a compromised media ecosystem, and algorithm-driven social media platforms that amplify division, hatred, and anti-people politicians," Venugopal said.
"They remind us that democracy ultimately belongs not to billionaires, powerful interests, or technology platforms, but to ordinary citizens who choose to participate, organise, and make their voices heard," he said. When people come together in solidarity and refuse to surrender their rights and freedoms, they can overcome even the most formidable forces aligned against them, Venugopal said.
"The People, United, Shall Always Be Victorious. INDIA, United," he said on X. Trump's Republican Party faced stunning defeats in its strongholds such as Texas, Georgia and Iowa, where it lost the governors' posts to the Democrats. The grand old party also faced a drubbing in Senate races in Texas, Maine, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Iowa -- where Trump campaigned with a simple message urging voters to pretend that he was on the ballot.
The widespread losses were attributed to anger against Trump's policies, including the war on Iran, which have led to increased cost of living and high diesel prices.
( Source : PTI )
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