Cong claims moral victory by securing over 51% postal votes

Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning a comfortable third consecutive term in Haryana, the Congress has claimed a moral victory by securing over 51% of the postal votes cast in the recent assembly elections.

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The Congress, which lost ground on electronic voting machines (EVMS), is now raising allegations of EVM manipulation, citing its significant lead in postal ballots. According to the Election Commission data, Congress bagged 51.7% of the postal votes, compared to BJP's 34.89%.

The postal ballots, which accounted for just 0.57% of the total votes cast in Haryana, have become a political battleground for the Congress to challenge the BJP's sweeping victory, alleging irregularities in counting of votes in EVMs. In a total of around 80000 postal votes, nearly 40000 were polled in favor of Congress, while the BJP garnered around 26700 votes. These ballots reflect votes from government employees on election duty, armed forces personnel, paramilitary forces, and essential services workers like firefighters and ambulance services, along with senior citizens and persons with disabilities.