Haryana Poll Debacle: Gehlot Calls for Deep Investigation into Surprising Results

A day after Congress held a crucial review meeting to address its disappointing performance in the Haryana Assembly elections, Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot expressed his determination to uncover the reasons behind the unexpected outcomes. He stated that the party would conduct a thorough examination of the situation, emphasizing the need to understand what transpired during the elections.

In a statement, Gehlot remarked, “The country and the world were seeing that Congress was winning, and there was no news of defeat from anywhere, be it exit polls or media.” He described the results as shocking and asserted that it was essential to get to the bottom of the matter. He also highlighted the party’s complaints to the Election Commission regarding alleged discrepancies with the electronic voting machines (EVMs). “For the first time in elections, we are seeing such situations arise where results were reversed,” he noted.

Gehlot pointed out that many BJP leaders were also predicting a Congress victory, which adds to the confusion surrounding the election results. “These are all things, but I believe that until you get to the bottom of this matter, it is not right to say anything about it,” he cautioned.

Addressing concerns about the potential impact of the Haryana election results on upcoming elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Gehlot acknowledged that the party would inevitably feel the repercussions of the loss. “Alliances are going on there, but those who say that what will happen there now that we have lost here — the party obviously gets a little jolted, and workers feel it. But the situation comes under control with time,” he explained. He reassured that the contexts in Haryana and Maharashtra are distinct, noting the differences in governance and public sentiment.

During the review meeting, Gehlot confirmed that a postmortem of the Haryana results is underway. “A meeting was held yesterday, where Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge decided to establish a platform that will allow all our candidates — both winning and losing — and leaders of the state to delve deep and assess what actually happened. The entire country was watching that Congress was winning… But what happened suddenly? Surprising results came in,” he stated.

The Congress party has resolved to form a fact-finding team that will engage with all candidates to explore the reasons behind the electoral setback. The team will also address the complaints regarding alleged discrepancies in the EVMs, as reported by party candidates during the elections.

The review meeting was attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary for organization KC Venugopal, AICC senior observers for the polls Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken, as well as AICC secretaries for the state.

As the Congress party grapples with the fallout from the Haryana elections, Gehlot’s remarks underscore a collective resolve to investigate the unexpected results and rebuild the party’s strategy for future electoral contests.