EC explains counting process amid row over Haryana results: ‘Will respond fact-by-fact’, says on Congress charges

Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday responded to Congress’ charges on Haryana polls saying, “We will respond to all 20 complaints on EVMs individually, fact-by-fact”

The Congress candidates from 20 assembly constituencies, in their written complaints to the Election Commission (EC), have alleged that the batteries in some of the EVMs were charged at 99 per cent during counting on October 8.

The complaints follow the Congress’ shock defeat in the assembly elections after the party failed to win a simple majority even after 10 years of the BJP rule in Haryana.

EC must give a clarification: Kapil Sibal

Asked about the allegations, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, “The questions that the Congress has raised about EVMs, it is providing proof to the Election Commission on it. So, I do not know much about it but the EC must give a clarification on it. I think misuse of EVMs does happen, to what extent it happens, I cannot say.”

“From the beginning I am against this. I have given many statements in the past. What is opaque must not be accepted,” the former Congress leader and Independent Rajya Sabha MP added

Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the party had sent a list of 20 seats in which the candidates had submitted their written and verbal complaints over the EVM counting votes in the Haryana Assembly elections.

Speaking to ANI, Khera said “We have sent a list of 20 seats to the Election Commission regarding which our candidates have submitted written and verbal complaints of 99 per cent battery charge. This issue was raised on the day of counting…This is a strange coincidence that the machines which displayed 99 per cent battery charge were the ones on which Congress was mostly made to lose. The machines with 60-70 per cent battery charge are the ones on which Congress won. Why did this happen?”