Congress alleges delay in vote count updates as BJP surges in Haryana polls

Congress leaders highlighted the discrepancies between the rounds of votes counted and the data broadcast by news channels, which was based on Election Commission figures

Haryana Assembly election results 2024: The Congress has raised concerns about delays in the Election Commission’s website displaying real-time counting data after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a surprising lead over the party in the early trends of the Haryana Assembly election results.

Congress General Secretary and communications head Jairam Ramesh voiced his dismay over the sluggish update of trends, drawing parallels with the Lok Sabha elections. Ramesh tweeted, “Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to-date trends on the ECI website. Is the BJP trying to build pressure on the administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends?”

Ramesh also wrote to the Election Commission, alleging "inordinate and unacceptable delay in updating trends" in the Haryana Assembly election results.

 

Further amplifying the party’s concerns, Congress leader Pawan Khera alleged discrepancies between the rounds of votes counted and the data being broadcasted by news channels, which was based on Election Commission figures.

“The Election Commission data is lagging; they are still showing the fourth or fifth round of data while 11 rounds have already been counted. Our general secretary communications has tweeted to the Election Commission asking — are they trying to put pressure on the local administration by delaying the display and uploading of data? In Jammu and Kashmir, you are getting live data with every round counted, but in Haryana, it is not so,” Khera was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Reacting to the Congress party's allegations, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla mocked the grand old party for its premature celebration. "At 8.30-9 am, Pawan Khera was distributing jalebis. Around 11.30 their spokespersons started criticising the Election Commission, by 12 noon Jairam Ramesh started to raise questions on the country's institutions and by 2 pm, the Congress will begin to question the intelligence of the voters," he said.

 

Haryana Assembly polls: BJP vs Congress
 

On Tuesday, Haryana’s political landscape took centre stage, with dynastic politics playing a significant role as counting commenced for the state’s 90 assembly seats. The early trends showed Congress taking the lead over the ruling BJP, but this was quickly reversed as counting progressed. 

As vote counting unfolded across 93 centres in 22 districts, a tense see-saw battle emerged between the BJP and Congress. According to the EC’s trends at 10 am, the BJP had moved ahead, leading in 43 seats, while Congress was trailing with 34, marking the first time the ruling party overtook its main rival since counting began at 8 am.

The high-stakes contest has both parties eyeing significant goals: the BJP aims to retain power for a third consecutive term, while Congress seeks to make a comeback after being out of power for a decade.

In early trends, the contest remained close, with the BJP gains while the Congress held steady, making the probable outcome uncertain. The BJP is now leading in 31 seats, with Congress edging ahead in 38. However, with many votes yet to be counted, the final results will become clearer as the day progresses.