New Delhi [India], November 5 : Former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Wednesday backed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "voter fraud" and alleged that the Haryana government was "stolen" in the 2024 assembly elections.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the "voice of the people was suppressed" during the polls.
He said, "Today, Rahul held a press conference. From the beginning, there was talk that public opinion in Haryana and the voice of the people were suppressed, and the election wasn't just about vote theft, but the Haryana government was stolen through it. There are many reasons for this. Rahul Gandhi explained in detail. He provided complete evidence of how many votes were cast and what all happened."
He further added, "When everyone saw the exit polls. No exit poll anywhere gave the BJP more than 29 seats, and the Congress party was winning with a landslide majority. The obvious doesn't need proof. Just look at the last three or four results of the Haryana Assembly elections. Whoever won the postal ballots formed the government," he said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference, said that his team has clear proof that around 25 lakh voters in the state are either duplicate, non-existent, or manipulated in Haryana.
He said, "We have crystal clear proof that 25 lakh voters (in Haryana) are fake, that they either don't exist or they are duplicate or are designed in a way for anybody to vote...1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, that's 12.5 per cent."
Gandhi claimed that a woman appeared to have voted 22 times across different booths using multiple names.
He said the image linked to her was a stock photograph of a Brazilian model and that similar cases could involve up to 25 lakh records in the state.
"Congress lost the election by 22,000 votes...Who is this lady?... She votes 22 times in Haryana, in 10 different booths in Haryana. She has multiple names...That means this is a centralised operation...The lady is a Brazilian model. That's a stock photograph, and she is one of 25 lakh such records in Haryana," he said.
In response, the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana has asked Gandhi to sign an affidavit for his claims, as election results can be questioned only with an Election Petition before a High Court.