New Delhi: After 14 votes of Congress legislators were declared invalid for using wrong ink in Rajya Sabha elections for two seats in Haryana, the Congress is likely to approach the Election Commission to protest against the "misuse of government machinery”.
In the Rajya Sabha elections yesterday, Congress-backed independent candidate R K Anand lost while BJP-backed Subhash Chandra was declared winner.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has said that it was the Returning Officer's fault because the pen that was used to cast votes was provided by him. Hooda has alleged a “big conspiracy” and said that the truth should come out. “A probe by the Election Commission should be sought. This truth will come out in 24 hours,” he said in Chandigarh.
"Never before I have heard or even imagined that conspiracy of this level could be hatched. I can say with firm belief that a conspiracy was hatched to enable victory of BJP-backed candidate," Hooda told reporters here.
Demanding forensic examination of the pens used to cast votes, Hooda said the Election Commission should conduct a thorough inquiry. He said, "In a democratic set-up, if such conspiracies are allowed to succeed, then our democracy will be in danger" and added, "I have demanded that the matter needs to be probed. R K Anand should file an election petition."
Many suspected it a deliberate move by Hooda to sabotage the voting as he was opposed to Congress backing Anand. He has denied any cross voting by MLAs. Out of 17 votes of Congress, only three were cast in favour of RK Anand that of Kuldeep Bishnoi, his wife Renuka and Kiran Chaudhary.
Anand also blamed the former chief minister and said that barring one, all the rest 18 INLD legislators had cast vote in his favour, "but Hooda and party of the Congress have ditched".
Congress general secretary B K Hariprasad is consulting legal experts whether to move to Election Commission with the complaint, Congress sources said. Asked whether the party suspected internal sabotage in the elections including by Hooda, Hariprasad replied in the negative.
The party is alleging that there was deliberate fraud in the election by switching the pen meant for marking the votes so as to make the Congress votes invalid.
The votes of 14 Congress MLAs were declared invalid leading to the loss of Anand who was otherwise expected to win.
Hariprasad had yesterday said that prima facie he saw a conspiracy from the government's side and said the party will find out the truth. "We will fight it politically and legally," he had said.
The defeat of Anand came as a bolt from the blue for the Congress and its high command, which was confident that its strategy to trounce BJP-backed media baron and independent candidate Subhash Chandra would succeed.
On Friday, the Congress Legislature Party at its meeting had authorised party chief Sonia Gandhi to decide on who to vote for and she had directed voting in favour of Anand.
(With inputs from PTI)
