'Will inform ECI...': Rahul reacts to Haryana election loss
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reacted to his party's shocking defeat in the Haryana assembly elections. In a statement, he thanked the people of Jammu and Kashmir, calling the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance's victory in the Union Territory "a victory of the Constitution, a victory of democratic self-respect." He added they are studying the results from Haryana and will report complaints of irregularities in several assembly constituencies to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
BJP secures 3rd consecutive victory in Haryana
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered a hat-trick in Haryana by winning 48 of the 90 seats. The result surprised many as the Congress, which was expected to win on the back of an anti-incumbency wave, could only win 37 seats. Despite leading in vote-share, the Congress failed to convert this into seats. Many constituencies witnessed a low margin of victory, indicating regional parties and independents played a major role in the election results, potentially cutting into its vote share.
Read Gandhi's post here
Cannot accept result: Congress
On Tuesday, the Congress said the election results in Haryana are both unexpected and shocking, adding that they cannot accept the outcome following a sudden shift from early leads in their favor to a decisive victory for the BJP. Before this, the party had raised concerns with the ECI about an "unexplained slowdown" in the update of election results for Haryana, highlighting their dissatisfaction with the transparency of the process.
ECI dismisses Congress's reports
The ECI dismissed these allegations, saying that approximately 25 rounds across all constituencies were being updated every five minutes. The ECI further said it "unequivocally rejects...attempt to surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and uncorroborated malafide narratives." At a press conference, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh reiterated his party's stance, saying the results were "totally unexpected" and "completely surprising." He added these results contradicted what the people of Haryana had decided, which was for change and transformation.
