Congress candidate from Dabwali claims poll fraud, JJP’s Digvijay Chautala defends his actions

In the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, Congress candidate Amit Sihag had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, accusing JJP candidate Digvijay Chautala of election fraud and discrepancies in the functioning of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Dabwali constituency.

On January 29, the court heard the petition, and the next hearing has been scheduled for February 21.

In his petition, Sihag had submitted serious allegations against Digvijay Chautala, alleging that during the election campaign, an NGO “AYAAS” associated with the JJP opened libraries, gyms and organised marathons in several villages, all of which were allegedly linked to the election.

In his petition, Sihag further accused the NGO of organising a religious event as part of the campaign to boost Chautala’s chances. He alleged that the NGO worked entirely in favour of Chautala’s campaign, spending large amounts of money on it. Sihag also alleged that during the same time, a metal statue of late singer Sidhu Moosewala was installed in Dabwali by the JJP candidate, at a cost of Rs 14 lakh, which was not mentioned in the election expenses.

Sihag also submitted that Chautala not only took advantage of the NGO for political gains, but also spent more than the limit allowed by the Election Commission (EC) during the campaign. He has demanded a thorough investigation in the matter.

In his petition, Sihag has particularly questioned the activities at Nandishala Ground, where a religious event by preacher Kanhaiya Mittal was held, as well as the marathons and library openings that were allegedly conducted under the banner of the NGO.

Sihag believes these actions contributed to Chautala securing 35,261 votes. He has also raised concerns about the data from polling stations 169 to 202 and called the credibility of the EVMs into question. It is worth noting that Sihag lost the election by only 610 votes.

Digvijay Chautala, meanwhile, defended his actions. On Monday, Digvijay, who came third in the Dabwali Assembly election, spoke to villagers in Kaluana, Sirsa. He quoted his late grandfather, Om Parkash Chautala, saying, “If giving employment is a sin, I will do it 100 times,” and added, “If giving education is a sin, I will do it 100 times.”

At the opening of a library in Kaluana, he responded to critics who said he got 35,000 votes in Dabwali because of the libraries. He asked, “Is building a library wrong? Is fulfilling Baba Saheb’s dream through education wrong?”

Meanwhile, Aditya Devilal, MLA from Dabwali said the petition should be against the EC, not the candidates. He explained that all candidates were busy with their campaigns, and it was the Election Commission’s job to catch any irregularities.

Aditya found it strange that a notice was being sent to the candidates now. He added that daily expense reports were taken from each candidate during the campaign and monitored by IAS officers. If there were any issues, the Election Commission should be held accountable, not the candidates. He will respond to the court’s notice.

In the 2024 Dabwali assembly election, INLD’s Aditya Devilal won byh 56,074 votes, while Congress’s Amit Sihag came second with 55,464 votes. JJP’s Digvijay Chautala secured the third place with 35,261 votes. All three candidates belong to the Chautala family but contested under different parties.