– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: The Congress party on Wednesday formally lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India, alleging irregularities and manipulation that influenced the Haryana assembly election results in favor of the ruling BJP.
The party rejected the Haryana election outcome as “unexpected, unacceptable, and a defeat for democracy.”
A delegation of senior Congress leaders met with the Election Commission, submitting several complaints regarding vote-counting discrepancies in Haryana.
The delegation included Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken, Jairam Ramesh, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot, Partap Bajwa, Udai Bhan, and Pawan Khera, among others. Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi participated via video conference.
Speaking to the press, Pawan Khera said the Congress had raised concerns from 20 constituencies, with written complaints for seven of them submitted to the Commission. Additional complaints will be filed within two days.
Khera also revealed that Congress raised specific concerns about potential manipulation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He noted that some EVMs showed an unusually high battery strength of 99% after several rounds of counting, and the results from those machines consistently went against Congress. Meanwhile, machines with a more typical battery strength of 60-70% showed Congress candidates leading.
He emphasized that the election results in Haryana were inconsistent with public sentiment, which favored change and transformation.
“This is a victory of the system, but a defeat for democracy,” Khera remarked.
The Congress delegation insisted that all questioned EVMs should be sealed until the investigation is complete.
Jairam Ramesh noted that the party had lost in constituencies where there was little expectation of a BJP victory.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also expressed surprise at the results, calling them unexpected and startling. He added that the EC assured the delegation it would investigate the complaints. Hooda was a strong contender for the Chief Minister position had Congress won.
Haryana Congress President Udai Bhan mentioned that many EVMs retained 90-99% charge even after extended use, with those machines showing BJP victories. Conversely, machines with lower battery levels showed BJP losses.
The Congress leaders said the EC had assured them it would investigate the matter and respond after gathering feedback from the concerned Returning Officers.
