India’s Congress party complains to poll body over Haryana election results

India’s predominant opposition Congress safe together has complained to the election panel about concerns relating to the counting of votes in converse elections in Haryana won by Top Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Occasion (BJP), it said.

The partial rejection of the end consequence, which gave the BJP Forty eight converse constituencies against 37 for the Congress, used to be extraordinary on this planet’s most populous democracy, where the credibility of elections has infrequently been questioned in recent many years.

The Congress, projected by exit polls to construct up the election in the northern breadbasket converse, had said earlier it could probably per chance well no longer accept the “completely unexpected, utterly gruesome and counter-intuitive” consequence.

Senior Congress leaders who met the Election Commission of India (ECI) said they were educated of complaints from 20 of the converse’s 90 constituencies, and had been assured their concerns would possibly per chance well be regarded into.

“The Election Commission used to be handed over written complaints from seven constituencies while the last phrase complaints will be submitted in but every other two days,” the safe together said in a press launch on Wednesday.

In a letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that day, the election panel said the Congress’s rejection infringed the norms of free speech.

“Such an out of the ordinary statement … out of the ordinary in the affluent democratic heritage of the country, is a lot from a valid section of free speech and moves against an undemocratic rejection of the need of the of us,” it said.

The BJP did not true away respond to requests for comment.

Media reported BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni as announcing the Congress used to be defeated this skill that of it misplaced its reference to of us in the converse, somewhat than thanks to any discrepancies in vote counting.

Indian law permits candidates to complain to the ECI about counting components and search redress. If unhappy by its response, they are able to also simply entice the courts.

The Haryana elections were Modi’s first take a look at of recognition since his return in June as prime minister for a file third straight time duration, albeit with the encourage of allies, after having fallen short of an absolute majority.

Ultimate month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose family has given India three prime ministers, said he did not search for this year’s customary elections as a free say, but as one structured to favour Modi, without citing evidence.

Its Haryana accumulate would possibly per chance well be a shot in the arm for the BJP before regional polls in the extra politically necessary states of western Maharashtra and mineral-affluent Jharkhand.

These elections rep but to be announced, but are expected to be held in November.