Chief of Opposition (LoP) within the Rajya Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a scathing assault over alleged discrepancies in Haryana’s voter record, accusing the Election Fee (EC) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Social gathering of manipulating the 2024 meeting polls within the state.
Nevertheless, shortly after the outcomes of the parliamentary polls had been introduced in October final yr, no less than 16 Congress leaders filed election petitions elevating questions on alleged irregularities within the vote.
A number of Congress leaders who filed petitions misplaced to BJP candidates. In Uchana Kalan seat, former Congress MP Brijendra Singh misplaced to BJP’s Devender Chattal Bhuj Atri by a margin of 32 votes. In Khodar, then Haryana Congress chief Uday Bhan misplaced to Harinder Singh of the BJP by a margin of two,595 votes. And in Badhar, Vijay Pratap Singh misplaced to Bharatiya Janata Social gathering’s Danesh Adlakha by a margin of 6,181 votes.
Within the different two seats, Palwal and Faridabad, Congress candidates former minister Karan Dalal and Lakhan Kumar Singla misplaced to Gaurav Gautam and Vipul Goel by a margin of 33,605 and 48,388 votes respectively. Gautam is at present the income, catastrophe administration and civil aviation minister within the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led state cupboard, whereas Goel is the minister of state.
Different petitioners embrace Neeraj Sharma (who contested Faridabad NIT seat final yr), Amit Shihag (Dabwali), Anil Maan (Nalwa), Jai Bhagwan (Rai), Jaiveer Singh Valmiki (Khalkhoda), Manisha Sangwan (Charki Dadri), ML Ranga (Bawal) and Sachin Kundu (Panipat district). Dharam Pal (Nilokeri).
Broadly talking, these Congress leaders had been alleging tampering with digital voting machines (EVMs) and misuse of state equipment by the ruling BJP. Some referred to as for recounts within the seats they contested. A number of others, together with defeated Congress leaders from Karnal, Rewari, Panipat metropolis, Kalka and Narnaul, additionally filed expenses. The get together misplaced in these constituencies by a margin of 610 to 35,672 votes. The BJP received in all however one case.
Brijendra Singh filed a “revised petition” within the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket in search of a “recount of the votes”, however challenges from his Bharatiya Janata Social gathering rival Atri had been in useless. Mr. Atri then filed a swimsuit with the Supreme Court docket. In September this yr, a division bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra handed an order on the Particular Depart Petition (SLP) filed by Mr. Atri, asking the excessive courtroom “to not proceed with Mr. Brijendra’s software” difficult Mr. Atri’s election. The Supreme Court docket additionally issued a discover to Brijendra Singh in search of his reply to Atri’s plea. The case is scheduled for listening to within the Supreme Court docket on January 19, 2026.
Brijendra Singh mentioned in his amended petition that 215 votes out of the overall 1,373 postal votes had been declared invalid by the Returning Officer (RO). Of the 1,158 postal votes counted as legitimate, Brijendra Singh acquired 636 votes. The amended petition states that Brijendra Singh can be happy if the problem concerning the “unwarranted rejection” of 215 postal votes is resolved and he’ll withdraw his different claims.
“The matter is at present being heard by the Supreme Court docket on January 19, 2026. The alternative get together has filed an SLP and based mostly on this, the Supreme Court docket has issued a discover to me. We’re preventing a authorized battle,” Brijendra Singh advised The Indian Specific.
In submitting a petition within the excessive courtroom final yr, the then state get together chief Bhan had claimed that Congress state incharge Deepak Babaria had acquired a message from an “knowledgeable supply” concerning the alleged tampering of EVMs on 14 Lok Sabha seats forward of vote relying on October 8. Bhan shared a WhatsApp message with the media and mentioned the seats in query are Kalka, Garounda, Asand, Rai, Kharkauda, Safidon, Uchana Kalan, Bhadra, Dadri, Mahendragarh, Khodar, Badhar, Gohana and Narwana. All these 14 seats had been received by the BJP final yr.
The petition filed by Karan Dalal, who misplaced in Palwal, is underneath argument within the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket.
Talking to The Indian Specific on Wednesday, Uday Bhan mentioned, “Sixteen of us have filed a criticism within the EC and the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Court docket. The EC has not responded to our criticism even after a yr, however the petition filed within the Excessive Court docket can be in its preliminary phases. In my case, the following listening to date is in January subsequent yr.”
“Now we have additionally sought a recount and checking of votes in 5 cubicles and have deposited round Rs 3,360 crore with the EC, however we’ve got not acquired a passable response but,” Bhan mentioned, including that the deposit is required underneath the Supreme Court docket’s judgment to demand re-examination of EVMs. Karan Dalal of Palwal and Sarb Mitter Kamboj of Rania had additionally submitted deposits for EVM recheck.
In the meantime, a senior official from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) advised The Indian Specific, “Whereas the election petition filed by Haryana Congress leaders made broad allegations of EVM tampering and recounting of votes, the purpose raised by Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday was the forensic particulars of how the election was stolen. Frankly, Haryana Congress leaders had no concept of the dimensions of this complete operation by the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering.”
“We’re saying that if we had gotten round 22,000 extra votes, the result of the (October 2024) elections would have been utterly totally different, however on the similar time we’d additionally say that if we had gotten round 12,000 extra votes, the BJP would have received eight extra seats in Haryana,” one other AICC chief advised The Indian Specific.
The BJP received 48 out of 90 seats within the Haryana Meeting in final yr’s state elections, making historical past by forming the federal government for the third consecutive time. Congress got here in second place with 37 seats.
