We have the numbers, says Haryana Congress

The Congress in Haryana claimed it had the numbers for a majority in the assembly after all seven independent candidates extended it support to form the next government.Special coverage

The Congress in Haryana on Friday claimed it had the numbers for a majority in the assembly after all seven independent candidates extended it support to form the next government.

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The Congress staked claim before Governor Jagannath Pahadia on Friday armed with letter of support from the seven independent legislators.

State Congress president Phool Chand Mullana, who lost his election, took the letter from the party as well as letters of support from the seven independent legislators to the governor here.

"The Congress is the single largest party in the assembly. Precedent says that we should be invited to form the government. We have the numbers in the assembly," Mullana told reporters after meeting the governor.

The governor said he would examine the Congress letter.

Caretaker Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other senior Congress leaders did not accompany Mullana to hand over the letter to the governor.

In the Oct 13 elections to the 90-member assembly, the results of which were declared Thursday, the Congress won 40 seats, the main opposition Indian National Lok Dal 31, its alliance partner Akali Dal one, the Haryana Janhit Congress six, the Bharatiya Janata Party four, the Bahujan Samaj Party one and independents seven.

The Congress tally was much lower than its expectation of a comfortable majority and 27 seats less than the 67 it won in the February 2005 assembly poll.