Deepak Babaria, Congress in-charge in Haryana, offers to resign after party’s defeat in Assembly polls

Haryana Congress in-charge Deepak Babaria offered to resign a day after the Congress lost the assembly elections in the state, taking responsibility for the party’s dismal performance in the recently held assembly elections.

The announcement comes after the party held several meetings to discuss the party’s performance in the elections and the reason for the disappointing defeat.

Babaria said he tendered his resignation from the high command soon after the Haryana assembly polls result was released last week, however, no decision was communicated to him on the matter.

The BJP scored a historic victory in Haryana, defying predictions from the October 8 exit polls and a decade of anti-incumbency in the state. While the BJP won 48 of the 90 seats in Haryana, the Congress won 37 seats.

The smaller but significant parties including the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were decimated, and the INLD managed to win two seats. No party has won a third consecutive term in Haryana since the state was formed in 1966.

“I submitted my resignation the day after the Haryana results were announced. I’m not greedy with any post. The Haryana election results are unprecedented and there is misappropriation and malpractice in nearly 15 seats in Haryana by the BJP at the behest of the EVMs,” the Congress general secretary said on Monday, according to AajTak.

“I have always taken responsibility for the tasks that the party entrusted to me. I have been with the organization for 52 years and it is not about clinging to a position for personal gain,” said Babaria.

The Congress leadership last Thursday held a review meeting on the party’s surprising defeat in the Haryana Assembly polls and decided to form a fact-finding team that will speak to all its candidates to find out the reasons for the debacle.

Sources said that the leaders during the meeting discussed the possible reasons for the unexpected results in Haryana and decided to set up a team to ascertain the reasons for such results and also look into complaints of discrepancies in the EVMs, alleged by party candidates.