On June 4, after the Congress defied exit poll predictions and secured an impressive 99 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, MP Rahul Gandhi quickly held a press conference, criticizing the BJP for “capturing institutions” and thanking the public for “saving” democracy.
However, following the October 8 debacle, where the Congress suffered a crushing defeat in Haryana, failing to capitalize on the BJP’s 10-year anti-incumbency, Gandhi has remained silent. Despite also facing a setback in Jammu, where the party was routed, Congress is poised to form a government with its ally, the National Conference, in the Union Territory, but Rahul Gandhi is notably absent.
Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have remained silent and have not tweeted about the party’s loss in Haryana. Meanwhile, other prominent Congress leaders, such as Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, have appeared in the media, criticizing the Election Commission for delays in updating the counting data of the Haryana Assembly polls on its website.
The Congress leveled accusations after the BJP made a dramatic comeback in the early trends of the Haryana Assembly election results on Tuesday, overtaking the Congress and ultimately winning 48 seats, while Congress finished with 37.
At a press conference, Jairam Ramesh claimed that the latest trends were not being uploaded in a timely manner and alleged tampering with EVMs. Ramesh also wrote to the Election Commission, accusing it of an “inordinate and unacceptable delay in updating trends” in the Haryana election results. However, the Election Commission dismissed the Congress’s allegations.
The controversy sparked a swift response from the BJP, accusing the Congress of “crying” when facing defeat. Meanwhile, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remained silent throughout.
As the BJP mocked the Congress for celebrating prematurely, even referencing Rahul Gandhi’s campaign comments about jalebi in Haryana, Rahul himself stayed quiet. Instead, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge addressed the Haryana loss, calling the results “unexpected.”
Kharge tweeted, “The result in Haryana is unexpected. The party is assessing public opinion. After consulting our ground workers, gathering complete information, and checking facts, the party will provide a detailed response.”
**Rahul Gandhi’s Response on June 4:**
In contrast to his silence on October 8, Rahul Gandhi was highly active on social media and held a press conference after the Congress-led INDIA bloc defied exit poll predictions and won 234 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
Praising the people of Uttar Pradesh, where the INDIA bloc surprised the BJP, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “UP ne kamaal kar diya (The people of UP did wonders).” He also thanked the public for protecting the Constitution.
Criticizing the BJP, whose aim of a 400-seat majority was dashed with only 240 seats—32 short of a majority—Rahul accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of “capturing institutions.”
“The country has clearly and decisively conveyed that it does not want Narendra Modi and Amit Shah leading it. People are dissatisfied with how they have governed and with their attacks on the Constitution. This is a strong message to Narendra Modi,” Rahul Gandhi had stated.
On June 6, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to X to express gratitude to the Samajwadi Party for the INDIA bloc’s remarkable performance in Uttar Pradesh, where the bloc won 43 seats, while the BJP, which had dominated in 2014 and 2019, was reduced to just 36 seats.
However, four months later, the Gandhi siblings have remained silent regarding the Haryana setback.
