Gharaunda Congress candidate Virender Rathore blames 'internal sabotage' for his defeat

Two days after his defeat in the Assembly elections, Congress candidate from Gharaunda Virender Singh Rathore pointed fingers at some Congress leaders for betraying him and supporting BJP’s Harvinder Kalyan. He alleged that some leaders within his own camp had tried to sabotage his chances of winning. He said they deliberately distanced themselves from the campaign, thus contributing to his defeat.

Rathore, while naming three prominent Congress leaders, said they should be expelled from the party for their actions during the elections. He alleged that they worked for the BJP, and said if they were not expelled from the party, he would himself leave the Congress. “I will quit the party, if the leaders, who worked against the party and supported the BJP, are not expelled. These leaders gave money to people to vote against me,” said Rathore. He said, “Such leaders harmed the party’s chances of winning.”

When asked about the Congress’ performance, Rathore criticised the party’s decision to field Divyanshu Budhiraja in the Lok Sabha elections, especially against two strong Chief Ministerial candidates. “The party's decision to field Budhiraja was a mistake,” he said.

Rathore also questioned the integrity of the electronic voting machines (EVMs), citing concerns over battery issues and radio frequency interference. He said the Congress had already approached the Election Commission of India with their complaints regarding the election process.

Despite his defeat, Rathore highlighted that he got 48 per cent of the vote share, just 1 per cent less than his opponent, Kalyan. He raised questions over the internal discipline within the Congress party.