NEW DELHI: The Congress has decided to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with regard to what it describes as irregularities in the electoral process in Haryana. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh expressed disbelief at the election results, claiming they contradicted public sentiment and ground realities.
"The results are totally unexpected and surprising. It goes against what the people of Haryana were seeking -- a mandate for change and transformation, " Ramesh said on Tuesday, questioning the credibility of the poll outcome.
He also alleged that authorities were intimidated, leading to unexpected losses in constituencies where Congress had been performing well.
Ramesh further revealed that serious complaints had been raised about the counting process and the functionality of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in at least three districts. "We have received complaints about EVM malfunctions in Hisar, Mahendragarh, and Panipat, with issues regarding machine batteries and inconsistent results, " he said.
These complaints are being gathered and will be presented to the ECI in the coming days.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera echoed these concerns, labelling the election as "a victory for manipulation and a defeat for democracy".
Khera said: "We have received very serious complaints on the process of counting, the functioning of EVMs in at least three districts. We have spoken to our senior colleagues in Haryana and information is still being collected. We will present this to the Election Commission. Serious questions have been raised by our candidates. What we have seen today in Haryana is a victory for manipulation, a victory for subverting the will of the people and it is a defeat of democratic process."
He criticised the process, citing disbelief over the unexpected results, and mentioned that Congress candidates had already submitted grievances to local returning officers.
The Congress is also focused on the ongoing political developments in Jammu and Kashmir, where the National Conference-Congress alliance has secured a clear mandate. The coalition's priority, according to Ramesh, would be the restoration of statehood.
"The chapter on Haryana is still not complete, it will continue. The chapter in Jammu and Kashmir, of course, there will be a coalition government. And as I said till yesterday, various attempts were being made to ensure that the majority will not come to the Congress-NC alliance but the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a very clear mandate for this coalition government, " Jairam Ramesh said.
Earlier in the day, the Congress had complained to the poll body, alleging that there was a slowdown in update of poll results data on the ECI website.
The ECI had rejected the claims and said that the entire counting process is being done in the presence of observers and micro-observers as per the statutory scheme.
According to the latest data of the Election Commission of India, the BJP is going to win at least 48 seats in Haryana and will form the next government in the state for the third time in a row.