Rahul Gandhi's Weak Leadership Reason For Congress' Haryana Loss: KT Rama Rao

Haryana Results 2024: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao teared into Congress and held Rahul Gandhi responsible for party's loss in Haryana . Addressing a gathering, KT Rao said that Rahul Gandhis' weak leadership is the main reason for Congres' defeat adding the party must introspect and learn from election losses.

“Where is Revanth Reddy and Rahul Gandhi who spoke about guarantees… Yesterday you have seen how the people of Haryana taught a lesson to Congress . They did the same thing in Karnataka… first they promised 5 guarantees and after winning they said no money. In Himachal Pradesh , they have promised 10 guarantees and cheated them. In Telangana, they have promised 6 guarantees and cheated the people. In Haryana , they went for polls promising 7 guarantees but people of Haryana understood that they are cheaters… cheated in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal Pradesh .”

Congress takes shelter under EVM blame?

After crushing defeat in Haryana , the Congress has demanded a thorough probe into "discrepancies" found in some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during the counting of votes and demanded that such EVMs should be sealed and secured pending the inquiry.

A delegation of top Congress leaders comprising former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Ashok Gehlot and AICC leaders KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Ajay Maken and Pawan Khera, besides Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, met with top Election Commission officials.

The delegation handed over a memorandum to the officials along with specific complaints from various constituencies in Haryana . Senior party leader Abhishek Singhvi joined the meeting online.

Congress alleges 'glaring discrepancies'

The Congress leaders alleged that there are at least 20 such complaints, including seven in writing from as many assembly constituencies, with many referring to EVMs functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity whereas the average EVMs were found to be operating at 60 to 70 per cent battery capacity during the counting.

The party alleged "glaring discrepancies" related to some of the EVMs in the Haryana polls and urged the EC to conduct a probe.

"There are doubts about vote counting as the Haryana results are surprising. Everyone believed that the Congress would be forming the next government in Haryana. When the counting of postal ballots took place, the Congress was winning, but when the counting of EVMs started, the opposite happened," former chief minister Hooda told reporters after the meeting.

He said the Congress will submit more complaints to the EC in the next few days. "The EC has assured us of looking into the matter," Hooda said after meeting the CEC and other election commissioners.

Bhan also said that doubts have been raised about the veracity of the counting exercise in Haryana and these should be cleared by the EC.

Khera said party leaders Maken and Singhvi urged the EC to conduct a thorough probe, pending which it should ensure that the EVMs with discrepancies are sealed and secured.

"We apprised the Election Commission about 20 complaints that have come to us, including seven written complaints from seven constituencies with some EVM machines functioning at 99 per cent battery capacity, while other EVM machines were functioning below 60-70 per cent battery capacity," he said.

"Maken and Singhvi have demanded that the EVMs for which the complaints have been made be sealed and secured till the inquiry into the whole matter is completed. We also told the EC that in the next 48 hours, we will make available to them other complaints that are being compiled.

"The EC has told us that they will give us a written reply on all constituencies after consulting the respective returning officers," Khera added.

With inputs from PTI