Congress fact-finding panel blames BJP, EC of rigging in Haryana polls

The Congress Fact-Finding Committee has released its interim report on the BJP's victory and the Congress' unexpected defeat in the Haryana Assembly elections blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), EVM and the Election Commission (EC) for electoral rigging.

- NEERAJ MOHAN

The eight-member committee headed by former minister Karan Singh Dalal alleged that the BJP influenced the election results by hacking electronic voting machines (EVMs) in at least 27 urban assembly constituencies.

"BJP did not hack EVMs in entire Haryana, but it was done in urban areas. In rural areas, people often know who others are voting for, but in urban areas, political preferences are not clear", he alleged. He also alleged that non-availability of mandatory 17-A and 17-C forms by the ECI (Election Commission) raises questions over the transparency of the election process.