Cong to hold statewide protests in Haryana against 'vote theft': Hooda

Chandigarh, Nov 7 (PTI) Two days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the 2024 Haryana assembly polls were "stolen", former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the party will hold protests across the state against "vote theft".

Hooda, who is the Leader of Opposition in Haryana, on Friday alleged that the Election Commission failed to fulfil its responsibility impartially, and added that the BJP formed the government through "vote theft".

Hooda said the Congress is not just talking about Haryana, but about the entire country.

"If the Election Commission does not act impartially, people's democratic rights will be nullified. However, the Congress will not allow the people's democratic rights to be violated. It will hold protests across the state against vote theft. The party is preparing a blueprint for this," he said.

Former Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday alleged that the 2024 Haryana assembly polls were "stolen". He cited electoral roll data to claim that 25 lakh entries in it were fake and that the Election Commission colluded with the BJP to ensure its victory.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi during which he put up a presentation of "The H-files", Gandhi said the "centralised plan" included a Brazilian model whose photograph was used 22 times in 10 booths in the Rai assembly constituency using names such as "Seema, Sweety and Saraswati".

The BJP won 48 seats in the 2024 Haryana elections, while the Congress, which several exit polls predicted would win, bagged 37 seats. The INLD won two seats while independent candidates bagged three in the 90-member Assembly.

Hooda alleged that the "voter list was so flawed that, in addition to the Brazilian model, 223 votes were registered for a single woman in one booth. The photographs of 1,22,000 voters were found to be fake".

Hooda alleged that irregularities detected in the voter list have shaken public confidence in the Election Commission.

"Therefore, the Congress party has resolved to protect democracy and will take every possible step to do so," he said.

The former chief minister said that after the voting on October 5, 2024, the Election Commission reported a total voter turnout of 61.19 per cent in Haryana.

"On October 6, this figure increased to 65.65 per cent, and on October 7, the figure was revised again to 65.9 per cent. Will the Election Commission answer how the vote count was increasing automatically for three consecutive days? How did the counting of votes cast through EVMs take such a long time in this era of fast internet and telecom revolution?" he asked.

"That is why, as soon as the election results were announced, we immediately went to the Election Commission and filed a complaint. We have repeatedly appealed for elections to be held using ballot papers," Hooda said. PTI SUN RUK RUK