AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Congress on Wednesday for blaming EVMs after their defeat in the Haryana assembly elections, a day after the BJP secured its third consecutive term in power. He pointed out that Congress only finds fault with EVMs when they lose, stating, “It is very easy to blame EVMs. You win due to EVMs and when you lose, then it is wrong.”
Owaisi also said that, given several unfavourable factors, the BJP should have lost the election.
“It is very easy to blame EVMs. You win due to EVMs and when you lose, then it is wrong. My opinion is that the BJP should have lost this state. There were many factors which were going against them,” Owaisi told ANI.
He criticised Congress for not capitalising on anti-incumbency in Haryana, attributing the BJP’s win to Congress’s internal conflicts, which allowed the BJP to take advantage of the situation.
“Congress should have taken advantage of the 10 years of anti-incumbency, but it seems that due to their internal differences, the BJP benefited. If you give the BJP even a little opening in an electoral battle, they will capitalise on it,” he said.
“After the 2024 Parliament elections, I had said that those claiming BJP’s success is driven by hatred were wrong. I had said at that time as well, it’s not the case. So, who is responsible for BJP’s success? You (Congress) are the main opposition and had a golden opportunity to defeat the BJP, but you failed to do so,” he added.
Congress on Haryana results
Congress leaders have raised concerns about EVMs in Hisar, Mahendragarh, and Panipat, claiming that BJP won on machines with a 99 per cent battery, while Congress won on units with 60-70% battery levels.
On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, described the Haryana Assembly election results as “unexpected” and assured that complaints from various constituencies would be taken up with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Earlier on Tuesday, the Election Commission dismissed Congress’ allegations of delayed result updates as “ill-founded”, rejecting attempts to lend credibility to “irresponsible, unfounded, and uncorroborated malafide narratives.” Congress leaders Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh had accused the EC of trying to influence the results.
Haryana assembly election result
Defying exit polls that had predicted a clear Congress win, the BJP is set to form its third consecutive government in Haryana. The BJP secured 48 seats in the 90-member assembly, while the Congress won 37. Independents took three seats, and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) secured two.
Speaking to party workers in Delhi after the BJP’s victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Congress of trying to mislead the public. He hailed the win, saying all communities voted for the BJP due to good governance.
Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, thanking voters, said that the electorate has endorsed the government’s policies under PM Modi’s leadership. Saini is likely to consult with his senior leadership on finalising his cabinet, PTI reported citing sources.