Hooda Confirms Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Theft Claims, Announces Statewide Protests

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda voiced strong support for Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "vote chori", or electoral fraud, in the 2025 Haryana Assembly elections, claiming that the Election Commission colluded with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to manipulate the outcome during a joint press conference in the capital on Wednesday. Flanked by Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Rao Dan Singh, Hooda described the results as a shocking theft not just of votes but of the entire state government, emphasising that pre-election surveys had projected the BJP to win no more than 29 seats while Congress was poised for a clear majority. Gandhi's earlier address, where he presented purported evidence of irregularities, including discrepancies in voter turnout data that rose suspiciously post-polling, has galvanised the opposition party's response, with Hooda asserting that the surprise verdict demands immediate scrutiny to restore democratic integrity in the agrarian heartland state.

Hooda's remarks build on a pattern of post-poll discontent from Congress, which secured only 38 seats against the BJP's 48 in the 90-member assembly, falling short despite leading in early trends and benefiting from anti-incumbency against the ruling party's handling of farmers' issues and unemployment. He highlighted anomalies such as the unusual spike in voting percentages after polls closed—reportedly from 67% to over 72% in key constituencies—and the absence of credible exit polls favouring the BJP, which independent agencies like CVoter and Axis My India had capped at under 30 seats. The PCC chief echoed these concerns, announcing statewide protests starting Thursday to pressure authorities for a thorough investigation, including demands for repolling in 20-25 "tampered" segments and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. This escalation risks deepening political polarisation in Haryana ahead of the 2026 state polls, where caste dynamics and Jat farmer sentiments played pivotal roles.

The controversy unfolds against Haryana's history of fiercely contested elections, where the BJP has governed since 2014 under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, navigating alliances with the Jannayak Janta Party amid agrarian unrest. Gandhi's intervention, his first major foray into state-level fraud claims since the 2024 Lok Sabha battles, aims to rally the party's base by framing the loss as systemic sabotage rather than organisational lapses, potentially boosting morale for upcoming municipal elections in the state. Critics within the BJP, including Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, dismissed the accusations as "sour grapes", urging Congress to accept the mandate while pointing to robust EVM audits. As protests gear up, with dharnas planned at district headquarters and a delegation to meet the President, the standoff could strain Centre-state relations, spotlighting ongoing debates over electoral transparency in India's digital voting era.

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Hooda's endorsement and the PCC's mobilisation signal a broader Congress strategy to challenge the BJP's dominance through narrative control on governance failures, from the wrestlers' protests to water-sharing disputes with Punjab. With the new assembly's inaugural session looming, any escalation could delay government formation and fuel national discourse on ECI impartiality, especially as the Supreme Court weighs related petitions on VVPAT verification. For Haryana's 2.6 crore voters, this episode underscores the high stakes of electoral trust, where a single contested poll could redefine alliances and policy priorities in a state pivotal to national politics. As the opposition digs in, the coming days will test the resilience of democratic institutions amid accusations that echo across India's polarised landscape.

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