Congress probes ‘vote chori’ in narrowly lost Haryana seats

The Congress has launched an internal inquiry into alleged irregularities in voter rolls in several Haryana constituencies where its candidates lost narrowly in last year’s Assembly polls.

According to party insiders, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has directed candidates from Uchana Kalan (Jind), Dabwali (Sirsa) and Charkhi Dadri, among others, to collect evidence of what leaders have termed ‘vote chori’ (theft of votes). The move follows repeated complaints from losing candidates and echoes the narrative party leader Rahul Gandhi has been raising nationwide ahead of the Bihar elections.

“Congress lost nine seats by less than 6,000 votes. We were confident of forming the government, but eventually had to settle for 37 seats, while BJP won 48,” said a senior leader, adding that discrepancies in electoral rolls could have made the difference.

Several Congress candidates have been called to Delhi for closed-door deliberations. They have been briefed to discreetly gather documents and testimonies from their constituencies.

When contacted, former MLA from Dabwali, Amit Sihag, who lost by just 610 votes, confirmed that “some measures” were being taken by the leadership, though he declined to share details. Similarly, Manisha Sangwan, who lost in Charkhi Dadri by 1,957 votes, said she had “no official knowledge” of the inquiry in her constituency but admitted that “such an exercise is being carried out in some segments.”

The Uchana Kalan constituency remains the most contentious. Congress candidate Brijendra Singh lost to BJP’s Devender Atri by just 32 votes — the narrowest margin in the state. A petition in the high court is pending over 215 cancelled votes that were never counted and could alter the outcome.

Sirsa MP Kumari Selja said Rahul Gandhi had already presented evidence of a “well-planned conspiracy” to cut Congress votes. “The Election Commission has no answers to the facts produced. In the coming days, Rahul Gandhi will reveal more about how votes were stolen. Today democracy is in danger, and to protect it, everyone must stand together,” she said, urging citizens to safeguard democracy and the Constitution.