As the Haryana Assembly election results defied earlier predictions, the Congress party has raised serious concerns over the outcome, alleging manipulation in the electoral process. According to party leaders, the results do not reflect the will of the people, and they plan to take legal action. This comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a third consecutive term in the state, in contrast to exit poll projections that had forecast a Congress victory.
Congress Claims “Deliberate Defeat”
At a press conference on Tuesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the electoral system of being manipulated to secure the BJP’s win. “Victory has been snatched from us, the system has been misused,” Ramesh declared. He emphasized that the people’s desire for change was clear but had not been reflected in the election results.
“The writing was on the wall for a change, but there are people who are experts at replacing walls. In this case, the machines were tampered with,” Ramesh said, alluding to the alleged malfunction of voting machines, known as Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
BJP Secures a Third Term
Despite exit polls predicting a Congress victory, the BJP has emerged victorious in 48 of the 90 constituencies, while the Congress secured only 37 seats, according to CNN-News18’s tally. The Congress leadership, however, remains sceptical of these results, with party leaders hinting at foul play. Ramesh pointed to the discrepancies in the counting process and claimed that serious complaints had been lodged from at least three districts.
Congress to File Complaints with Election Commission
Ramesh stressed that the Congress party’s immediate priority is to compile and consolidate all complaints related to the election. “Our first priority is to bring all the complaints regarding the counting of votes to the Election Commission. We have received serious concerns from multiple districts, and we will submit these complaints to the EC tomorrow or the day after,” he said.
While the Congress leadership plans to file formal complaints with the Election Commission, the party is also preparing for internal discussions on what went wrong during the campaign. “We will analyze the campaign and figure out what should have been done differently, but for now, our focus is on addressing the discrepancies in the vote-counting process,” Ramesh added.
Internal Discontent within Congress
Apart from concerns over the electoral process, internal party dynamics have also come into play. Senior Congress leader Kumari Sailja called on the party’s high command to identify individuals within the organization who may have hindered the party’s chances of victory.
“The Congress high command should work on a plan to help revive the party in Haryana and identify those responsible for the results. It cannot be business as usual. The leadership needs to pinpoint those who have negated the efforts to bring the party back to power after ten years,” Sailja was quoted as saying.
This statement suggests that internal discontent within the Congress party is surfacing, with some members blaming organizational failures for the unexpected loss.
Allegations of EVM Tampering
Adding to the controversy, Congress leader Pawan Khera raised concerns over the functioning of the EVMs. He claimed that machines with a higher battery percentage showed Congress losing, while machines with a lower battery percentage showed the party in the lead.
“EVM manipulation has taken place in some parts of Haryana,” Khera said, echoing the sentiment of several Congress leaders who believe that the election outcome was engineered rather than organically decided by the voters.
Congress Calls for Election Commission Accountability
Earlier in the day, Jairam Ramesh had written to the Election Commission, complaining about the delay in updating the election trends on the EC’s official website. The Congress party also submitted a memorandum requesting the EC to issue clear and accurate figures to counter what Ramesh described as “false narratives” being spread about the election results.
In his letter, Ramesh called the delay in updating the election data “inordinate and unacceptable” and urged the EC to act swiftly to restore faith in the electoral process.
BJP Denies Allegations
On the other side of the political spectrum, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi dismissed Congress’ claims as an attempt to cope with defeat. “If Jairam Ramesh is already pointing fingers at the Election Commission, it’s clear they’ve accepted their defeat. As the trends show, we are moving towards an important victory, and the Congress is just trying to prepare a narrative for their future losses,” Trivedi remarked.
As the dust settles on the Haryana elections, the Congress party’s allegations of manipulation add an air of controversy to the BJP’s win. While the BJP has secured its third term in the state, the Congress has vowed to continue fighting, both within the party and through formal channels like the Election Commission. Whether or not the Congress’ claims lead to further action or investigation remains to be seen, but for now, the election results stand as a significant victory for the BJP and a bitter defeat for the Congress.
(With inputs from agencies)
