Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and all state Assemblies, saying fresh elections should be held using ballot papers.

Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, Kharge said, “All the elections were illegal,” and called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah “illegal” too. He alleged that electronic voting machines were being misused and said fresh polls must be conducted through paper ballots, according to PTI reports.

Kharge also questioned the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He alleged the exercise could hurt poor people, daily-wage workers, uneducated citizens and minorities. He said he had discussed the matter with leaders of 20 parties in the INDIA bloc on September 30.

The Congress president criticised changes to how the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners are selected. He also alleged that BJP and RSS workers were filling up voter forms in areas where they wanted names deleted. The Election Commission has rejected the SIR claims, saying the exercise follows established rules.