Haryana Congress in-charge resigns after party's assembly poll defeat
What's the story
Deepak Babaria, the Congress's Haryana unit in-charge, has tendered his resignation after the party's defeat in the state assembly elections. Babaria said he submitted his resignation to the party's high command soon after the election results were declared last week. "After the results, I offered to resign. I conveyed to the high command that they could replace me," he said.
Resignation reasons
Babaria cites health and moral responsibility for resignation
Babaria cited health concerns and moral responsibility as reasons for his decision to step down. He said, "Due to my health and my moral responsibility in light of the results, I had informed the high command that 'if they deemed fit, they could replace me.'" However, he also said that after the Lok Sabha election results, he offered to resign as in charge of Congress's Delhi unit but no decision was made about it.
Post-defeat analysis
Congress forms fact-finding team following election defeat
In the wake of the shocking election results, the Congress leadership recently held a review meeting to assess the party's loss in Haryana. The meeting was attended by top party leaders including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal. A fact-finding team was constituted during this meeting to probe complaints of "discrepancies" in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as alleged by party candidates.
EVM concerns
Congress demands investigation into alleged EVM discrepancies
The Congress has demanded a detailed probe into alleged "discrepancies" in some EVMs during the vote counting of the Haryana polls. A delegation of top Congress leaders, including former Chief Ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot, approached Election Commission of India officials with the complaints. They pointed out that some EVMs were found functioning at 99% battery capacity while average EVMs were operating at 60-70% battery capacity.
Election results
BJP wins Haryana Assembly elections, Congress claims 37 seats
In the Haryana Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats, ending the Congress's bid to return to power. The Congress won 37 seats in the 90-member assembly. Smaller parties such as the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were decimated, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) could only manage two seats.