E-Paper
Haryana: Congress, JJP hit out at BJP for seeking postponement of voting date
Congress MP Deepinder Hooda said the BJP was making “childish arguments” to avoid facing the electorate.
Opposition Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s former ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) hit out at the saffron party after it sought a brief postponement of the assembly polls slated for October 1, citing holidays before and after the polling day that could lead to lower voter turnout.
Congress MP Deepinder Hooda said the BJP was making “childish arguments” to avoid facing the electorate. “Seeing its imminent defeat, the ruling party is giving childish arguments. Because it has no issue, no work or achievement to tell the public and no 90 candidates to give tickets to. That is why BJP is conspiring to postpone the elections by making an excuse of holidays,” Hooda posted on X in Hindi.
“Voters of Haryana are very aware. They will not go anywhere for a holiday, but will come to the polling booth in large numbers to vote for the BJP,” he added.
Former deputy chief minister and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala also issued a statement, saying, “The BJP is clearly afraid of losing this election and it will not be able to win even 20 seats. That’s why they have requested the Election Commission to postpone the date of voting.”
Varinder Garg, a member of the BJP’s state election management committee, said, “Saturday (September 28) is a holiday for many, while Sunday is a holiday. October 1 is a poll holiday in the state which is followed by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, which is a holiday and October 3 is also a holiday on account of Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti,” he said.
“We have reasoned that this may hit the voting percentage as people tend to go on vacation on long weekends which are followed by holidays. We have written to the Election Commission in this regard. For a better turnout, any new date once the string of holidays is over should be fine,” Garg told PTI over phone on Saturday.
