Congress to form fact-finding committee after Haryana poll loss
What's the story
The Congress party is planning to set up a fact-finding committee after its shocking defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections, ANI reported, citing sources. Most exit polls had predicted an easy win for the Congress in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state. Come vote counting day, the BJP scripted history by winning a third consecutive term. It won 48 out of 90 seats and left the Congress with just 37 seats.
Gandhi's response
Rahul Gandhi addresses unexpected election outcome
Following the shock result, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said the party was still analyzing this unexpected result and would inform the Election Commission of complaints from different constituencies. "We are closely examining the results and will apprise the Election Commission of complaints from several assembly constituencies," said Gandhi.
Tampering allegations
Congress alleges EVM tampering in Haryana elections
Senior Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera had also dismissed the Haryana assembly election results as "unacceptable," alleging electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering. Ramesh said some candidates noticed a correlation between EVM battery charge and election results. He alleged that on machines with 99% battery charge, Congress lost, while those with a charge of 60-70% showed a victory for the party.
J&K victory
Congress-National Conference alliance triumphs in Jammu and Kashmir
Unlike Haryana results, the Congress celebrated a major victory in Jammu and Kashmir. The party achieved this feat by allying with the National Conference 9NC), which won 42 seats in the 90-member Assembly. The Congress alone won six seats, while the BJP won 29 seats. NC president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday announced that his son, Omar Abdullah, has been elected as the chairman of the Legislature Party. The decision makes Omar the NC's chief ministerial candidate for J&K.