Congress resorts to vandalism after crushing defeat in Jind bypoll, raises the ‘EVM tampering’ bogey

Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Surjewala

As Congress party realised that their candidate Randeep Singh Surjewala is set to lose the important Jind by-polls in Haryana, the workers of the Congress party took to the streets to protest against the election results while raising doubts regarding EVM tampering.

According to Times Now, Congress workers created ruckus after embarrassing results in the Jind by-polls, where senior Congress leader and close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Singh Surjewala was pushed to humiliating third position. As soon as the Congress workers recognised that the party’s contest was over, they resorted to vandalism while also claiming that there was an ‘EVM-fraud’.

https://twitter.com/TimesNow/status/1090892024675356673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Reportedly, counting of votes was also stopped for a while after opposition parties raised doubts of EVM tampering and claimed that there was some mismatch in the number of votes during the counting process. Some workers belonging to the opposition parties held the protests while alleging that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) had been tampered with.

Virender Jaglan, polling agent of Congress candidate Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that there were irregularities in 2-3 EVM machines. Jaglan added that along with other opposition parties they have raised a demanded that there should be recounting of votes in those EVMs where mismatch had occurred.

Following the ruckus, Haryana police took control of the situation by lathicharging the workers present outside the counting venue of Jind by-polls. “There was an unlawful assembly which didn’t disperse when we asked them to leave. We had to use a slight force to disperse them. Situation normal now. Counting underway,” said SP Jind Ashwin Shenvi.

The BJP won the Jind by-polls with a margin of 12935 votes, securing a total of 50566 votes. JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala came second with 37631 votes while Congress leader Randeep Surjwala finished third with 22740 votes. The Jind by-poll was necessitated following the death of INLD MLA Hari Chand Middha, whose son Krishna Middha contested from a BJP ticket to secure the victory.

BJP’s Krishna Middha said, “I would like to thank everyone who supported the party and me. It’s their victory. There were big leaders in the contest as well, but we have defeated them too. We will follow the schemes launched by PM and take them forward.”

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia