'Democracy Lost': Congress Says After Haryana Verdict; Questions Raised On Vote Counting, EVM

Alleging a conspiracy following the results of the Haryana assembly elections 2024, the Congress on Tuesday said it cannot accept the verdict and raised "serious issues" regarding the integrity of the counting process and functioning of the EVMs in some districts. The grand old party on Tuesday also asserted that it would take up the matter with the Election Commission.

Denying anti-incumbency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday secured a historic third term as the state government for Haryana. While the ruling party bagged 48 seats, Congress got 37.

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI), requesting the apex poll body to issue immediate directions to its officials to update the website "with true and accurate figures so that the false news and malicious narratives can be countered immediately."

'Defeat of transparent democratic process': Congress

Alleging a conspiracy, the opposition party said that in Haryana "democracy had lost and establishment had won. Further commenting on the matter, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said the results in Haryana are "totally unexpected, completely surprising and counterintuitive".

At a press conference with AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, Ramesh said, "Serious questions have been raised by our candidates. We will bring it to the notice of the Election Commission."

"What we have seen today in Haryana is a victory of manipulation and subverting the will of the people. It is a defeat of transparent, democratic processes. The chapter on Haryana is not complete, it will continue," he said.

According to Khera, complaints were received from Hisar, Mahendragarh and Panipat that there were electronic voting machines (EVMs) with 99 per cent battery on which the BJP won while units with 60-70 per cent battery saw the Congress win.

"Have you understood this conspiracy, where there was 99 per cent battery in EVMs, BJP wins where there is less than 70 pc battery, Congress wins. if this is not a conspiracy, then what is it?" Ramesh said, adding that the complaints were from 12 to 14 seats as of now.

"Ye loktantra ki haar hui, hai aur tantra ki jeet hui hai (Democracy has lost and establishment has won)," the Congress general secretary said.

"All afternoon I have been in touch with the Election Commission, and the EC has replied to my complaints. I have replied to the reply of the EC. We have received very serious complaints about the process of counting, the functioning of EVMs in at least three districts, there are more that are coming in," Ramesh said.

"We have spoken to our colleagues in Haryana and this information is being collected. We hope to present this in a consolidated form to the Election Commission tomorrow or the day after, we will seek time from them," he said

"I think under these circumstances, it is not possible for us to accept the results that have been announced today," Ramesh said.

"EC is our first stop. It is a constitutional body, it is an independent body, we expect it to function constitutionally and independently," Ramesh said.

"There are serious questions about the instruments of the system, namely the EVMs and also the extraordinary pressure on local administration officials. It is a double engine pressure of the state government and the Centre.

"There was an environment in which people have lost by 200 votes, 300 votes, 50 votes, people who had healthy leading margins have ended up losing by 100-200 votes. This can be explained only by manipulation and pressure," Ramesh said.

He asserted that the party will introspect the results and a committee will also be formed.

"We will talk to everyone. But now is not the time for analysis, the important thing is that victory has been snatched from us. The systems have been misused. Everyone felt that the ground reality was in favour of change. The results that have come do not reflect that," Ramesh said.

Poll outcome opposite to Haryana atmosphere: Hooda

Besides Khera and Ramesh, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda also asserted that the outcome in Haryana was opposite to what the atmosphere was in the state.

Commenting on the results, Hooda told reporters, "The results have left us 'achambhit' (stunned) and the BJP must also be 'achambhit'. These results are opposite to what the atmosphere was in the state."

"What is the role of 'tantar' (in it), we will probe it. We lost many seats with low margins," he further said.

"We received complaints from many places as well. The way the delay took place. Anyhow, the AICC will meet the ECI. There is no doubt that these (results) are 'ascharya chakit' (surprising)," Hooda said.