Haryana defeat: Congress 'fact-finding' panel releases interim report, blames...

A Congress fact-finding committee has blamed the BJP and the Election Commission (EC) for its surprise defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections held in October. The collusion, the committee claimed in its interim report, led to the rigging of polls through Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) hacking and misuse of official machinery.

The eight-member panel, led by former minister Karan Singh Dalal, alleged that EVMs were hacked in at least 27 constituencies, primarily in urban areas, The Indian Express reported on Monday.

"The BJP did not hack EVMs in entire Haryana but only in urban constituencies. In rural areas, people generally know which party the others have voted for. It is only in urban areas that the political choices of people are not known exactly,” Dalal told IE.

After the election results on October 8, the Congress submitted a list of 20 Assembly constituencies to the EC, citing irregularities in the vote-counting process. Of these, the BJP had won 18 seats. The EC had dismissed the allegations, stating they created a "smoke of generic doubt over the electoral process."

On Monday, the Congress reiterated these accusations, raising suspicions about "EVM batteries showing 99% power at the end of polling day.” Dalal questioned the EC's explanation, saying, "The EVM is like a calculator, and its battery discharges on use. However, the EC is saying these batteries are unique, which gain power upon use."

Dalal further criticised the EC for not publishing the total number of votes polled by candidates. He pointed to discrepancies in polling data, noting that by 7 pm on polling day, the turnout was 61.19%, with 1.24 crore votes polled. This figure was later revised to 65.65% at 11:45 p.m. and then to 67.9% the following morning. “But the EC did not give the exact number of votes,” he said.

Highlighting inconsistencies in the BJP's vote count, Dalal said, "There are 2.03 crore registered voters in Haryana. As per the EC, the total turnout was 67.90%, meaning 1.38 crore votes were polled. If the BJP’s vote share was 39.94%, they should have got 55.19 lakh votes. But the EC website shows the BJP got 55.48 lakh votes. This means more votes were polled and the Congress would have also got more votes. But there is no increase in Congress vote share, affecting the party in at least eight-nine constituencies that we lost."

According to IE, Dalal also questioned the disparity in BJP's winning margins across constituencies. "In 44 constituencies, of which the BJP won 37, their strike rate was 84.9%. In 46, the BJP won 11 with a strike rate of 23.91%. How could there be such a stark difference?" 

Despite losing ground in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP made a remarkable comeback, securing 48 of the 90 Assembly seats and forming the government for a third consecutive term. The Congress, which had gained five Lok Sabha seats just six months ago, was widely expected to win in Haryana but was stunned by the BJP's return.