"They are accepting defeat; we want elections to be held on time": Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda

New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): On the matter of BJP requesting the Election Commission (EC) to postpone the Haryana Assembly polls, Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of accepting defeat, stating that the delay would only prolong the current government's tenure, for which the people are not interested.
Almost a week after the announcement of schedule for Assembly election in Haryana, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has written to the Election Commission (EC) of India to defer the polling by almost a week citing citing holidays before and after the election date that could lead to a lower voter turnout.
Addressing the media on Saturday, Hooda said, "Elections have been declared and it has been more than a week since it was declared. This means that they want to postpone the election. They are accepting defeat and we want the Eection Commission to hold the election on time because people do not want the government to remain in power for even a day." He further stressed the fact that the election should be held on time."
Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said, "Earlier also whenever the election schedule comes during a major festival, the elections were postponed for a day or two from the polling day. But long vacation time is not an argument...The public of Haryana is not happy with the BJP government..."
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that the BJP state president Mohan Badoli wrote the letter to the EC, citing concerns over the low voter turnout due to the extended holiday period during the polls.
"Our BJP state president Mohan Badoli has written to the Election Commission to shift the (election) date in consultation with other political parties so that vote percentage can be increased. There are holidays continuously; therefore, this letter has been written so that the vote percentage does not go down," he said.
In a letter to the Election Commission dated August 22, Haryana BJP President Mohan Badoli requested the EC change the polling dates in the state due to an extended holiday, which in turn decreased the voter turnout on the day of the polls.
"As per the schedule of Haryana Assembly elections announced by you through your press conference on 16.08.2024, the polling day has been fixed on 01.10.2024. In this context, it is brought to your notice that on 28.09.2024 (Saturday) and 29.09.2024 (Sunday), there will be weekly holidays in all government and private institutions of the state. Due to polling day on 01.10.2024 (Tuesday), all government and private institutions will remain legally closed on this day also. Then on 02.10.2024, there will be a national holiday on Gandhi Jayanti. In this way, not only government and non-government employees but also private businessmen will get the opportunity to go on a long holiday of 5 days from 28.09.2024 to 02.10.2024 by taking leave of just one day (30.09.2024-Monday). There is a possibility. This will definitely lead to a huge decrease in the percentage of voting," the letter stated.
The Haryana Assembly elections are scheduled for October 1st, with the results expected to be announced on October 4. (ANI)