Congress Submits Memorandum to Governor Alleging Rigging in Rajya Sabha Elections; Election Officer Invalidated Congress' Valid Votes; Action Must Be Taken: Former CM Hooda

Chandigarh, March 19, 2026: Haryana Congress Legislature Party today submitted a memorandum to the Governor, under the leadership of former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

In this memorandum, the Congress exposed the collusion between the BJP and the Election Officer during the elections held for two Rajya Sabha seats. Commenting on the matter, Hooda recited a couplet – “jisko rehnuma chuna tha ujale ki khatir, wo hi andheron se sauda kar baithe” (The guide chosen to lead us toward the light has instead struck a deal with the darkness).

The memorandum states that the Haryana Legislative Assembly comprises a total of 90 members, including 48 from the BJP, 37 from the Congress, 2 from the Indian National Lok Dal, and 3 Independent MLAs. A minimum of 31 votes was required to secure one Rajya Sabha seat.

Under normal circumstances, both the BJP and the Congress were poised to win one seat each; however, in an unexpected move, the BJP fielded its own Vice President, Satish Nandal, as an Independent candidate—a move supported by seven BJP MLAs who acted as proposers. The Congress has termed this a clear instance of political horse-trading, inducement, intimidation, institutional pressure, and misuse of government machinery by the ruling party.

The memorandum points out that the Election Officer (Returning Officer), Pankaj Agarwal (IAS), played a biased and partisan role. It claims that he declared the valid votes cast by Congress MLAs as invalid, accepted votes cast in favor of the BJP and the Independent candidate, and deliberately disregarded all valid objections raised by the Congress's vote-counting agents. The Congress has also lodged a complaint with the Election Commission regarding this matter.

The Congress Legislature Party has requested the Governor—in his capacity as the constitutional guardian of the state—to order an inquiry into this unethical and undemocratic conduct, to direct the government to uphold democratic values, decency, and discipline, and to ensure that appropriate disciplinary action is taken against the Election Officer.

“This incident not only undermines the dignity of the Haryana Legislative Assembly but also raises serious questions regarding the credibility of democracy across the entire nation. The Congress party, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of the state, will continue its struggle against this anti-democratic conspiracy. The Governor has taken cognizance of the matter and has assured that appropriate action will be taken,” Hooda said.

Following the submission of the memorandum, Hooda, accompanied by party legislators, addressed a press conference. On this occasion, MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra said that the BJP had fielded a third candidate with the sole intention of rigging the election. Satish Nandal is the Vice President of the BJP; yet, despite this fact, he was designated as an independent candidate.

“It is evident that the second candidate, too, belonged to the BJP. Consequently, the BJP hatched a conspiracy to ensure the victory of its second candidate by any means necessary, employing a strategy involving persuasion, inducement, coercion, and division,” Hooda said.

MLA Ashok Arora pointed out that during the tenure of the Congress government in Haryana, two Rajya Sabha elections were held. “Based on the numerical strength of the parties, the Congress could have secured the victory of one candidate, and the INLD (which was in the opposition at the time) could have secured the victory of one candidate,” he said.

“Unlike the BJP, the Congress did not field a second candidate on those occasions. This is precisely what constitutes respect for the norms of democracy. The pertinent question that arises is, why the BJP orchestrated such an elaborate conspiracy merely to prevent a Dalit candidate from reaching the Rajya Sabha,” he questioned.

Citing the example of MLA Paramvir Singh's vote, Arora explained that he had cast his vote in strict accordance with the rules, and there was absolutely no breach of secrecy whatsoever. “Consequently, his ballot had already been deposited into the ballot box; yet, despite this fact, his vote was subsequently cancelled. This action was entirely contrary to established regulations,” he said.

“Under standard procedure, if a breach of secrecy occurs while a candidate is casting their vote that specific ballot is set aside, and a final decision regarding its validity is taken later after reviewing the video footage. Could there be a more egregious irregularity than cancelling a vote—two hours after it had already been cast,” he said.

Arora also revealed that while the BJP and the independent candidates had raised objections regarding other votes that were eventually cancelled; the Election Officer himself had initially declared those very votes to be valid. “Despite objections being raised six times, the Returning Officer declared those votes valid; however, during the final count, those votes were ultimately rejected. There can be no greater electoral malpractice than this in any election,” he said.

Speaking about the budget during the press conference, Former CM Hooda exposed the state government by presenting facts and figures. He stated that the BJP has buried Haryana under a debt burden of ₹5.56 lakh crore.

“This is because, according to the 2026-27 budget, the internal debt stands at ₹3,91,435 crore. Small savings are estimated at ₹50,000 crore; liabilities from Public Sector Undertakings amount to ₹68,995 crore (as per 2025-26 figures); and additional liabilities (comprising outstanding electricity bills and subsidies) total ₹46,193 crore. In other words, the total debt burden on the state has reached approximately ₹5,56,623 crore—a figure that underscores the immense financial strain and the dire state of the economy,” he said.

Hooda also pointed out that the government lacks the necessary revenue to fund Capital Expenditure. “This is because, after servicing debts and making various advance payments, only ₹21,756 crore remains available for capital expenditure—constituting a mere 9.7% of the total budget. Consequently, there are insufficient funds available to finance new medical colleges, roads, bridges, and other projects announced in the budget,” he pointed out.

MLA Raghuvir Singh Kadian said that the government's conduct has been extremely undemocratic—not only during the elections but within the Legislative Assembly as well. “The Congress party sought to raise the issue of the Rajya Sabha elections in the Assembly, but the BJP stifled the voice of the opposition. Furthermore, when the Congress demanded a discussion on the SYL issue, that request was also rejected,” he said. 

“The Congress had also submitted a notice seeking a discussion on the trade deal concluded with the United States; however, the BJP evaded a debate on that matter as well. Yet, a discussion in the Assembly was imperative to address the future of farmers and the potential impact of this deal on our country's agricultural economy,” he said.

“Within this very building—inside the Punjab Legislative Assembly—a four-hour discussion was held on this very issue. The question remains: why was a discussion on this subject not facilitated in the Haryana Legislative Assembly,” he questioned.