Following the Haryana Assembly election results in October 2024, at least 16 Congress leaders filed petitions alleging irregularities, including EVM tampering and misuse of state machinery. Among them were candidates who lost by narrow margins, such as Brijendra Singh, who was defeated by just 32 votes in Uchana Kalan, and Udai Bhan, the then state Congress chief, who lost by 2,595 votes in Hodal. Other petitioners included leaders from Palwal, Faridabad, and several other constituencies. The petitioners sought recounts and raised concerns about postal ballot rejections. Despite these complaints filed with both the Election Commission and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, most cases remain in preliminary stages. The Election Commission has not responded even after a year. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi recently accused the BJP and Election Commission of manipulating the polls. The BJP won 48 of 90 seats, forming government for a third consecutive term, while Congress secured 37 seats.
Petitions Filed and Current Legal Status
The 16 Congress leaders who filed petitions include several prominent figures who narrowly lost to BJP candidates. Former MP Brijendra Singh filed an amended petition seeking recounting of votes after losing by 32 votes. His case reached the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear it on January 19, 2026. Udai Bhan's petition is also pending, with the next hearing in January. Karan Dalal's case from Palwal is at the arguments stage in the High Court. Many petitioners deposited mandated fees for EVM rechecking, including Bhan who paid around Rs 3.36 lakh, but received no satisfactory response from the Election Commission even after a year.
Allegations of EVM Tampering and Irregularities
The petitions broadly alleged tampering of electronic voting machines, misuse of state machinery, and sought recounts in contested seats. Udai Bhan claimed that Congress state in-charge Deepak Babaria received a message from a source about alleged EVM tampering in 14 Assembly seats before counting on October 8. These seats, including Kalka, Gharaunda, Uchana Kalan, Hodal, and Badkhal, were all won by the BJP. Brijendra Singh highlighted that 215 postal ballots out of 1,373 were declared invalid. Congress leaders contested seats where they lost by margins ranging from 610 to over 48,000 votes, nearly all won by BJP candidates.
Source: Link