Offered to quit after poll defeat, says Congress Haryana in-charge Babaria

Deepak Babaria says he offered his resignation to the Congress high command soon after the result of the Haryana assembly polls came out last week but no decision has been communicated to him so far.

Congress’ Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria on Monday said he has offered to resign from his post, taking moral responsibility for the assembly election defeat.

Congress’ Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria on Monday said he has offered to resign from his post, taking moral responsibility for the assembly election defeat. (HT file photo)

Babaria said he offered his resignation to the high command soon after the result of the Haryana assembly polls came out last week but no decision has been communicated to him on the matter.

“Last week, after the results, I offered to resign. I offered to the high command that you can replace me. My health is not well and also it is my moral responsibility in the wake of the results. Keeping that in mind, I had told this to the high command that ‘if you deem fit, you can replace me’,” Babaria said.

“After the Lok Sabha polls also, I had offered to resign as in-charge of Delhi, but no decision has been taken on that. Similarly, no decision has been taken (for Haryana), but it was my responsibility to offer (to resign),” he said.

The Congress top brass held a review meeting last Thursday on the party’s shock defeat in Haryana 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 the leaders also decided to look into complaints of “discrepancies” in EVMs, as alleged by party candidates. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary organisation KC Venugopal, AICC senior observers for the polls Ashok Gehlot and Ajay Maken, as well as AICC secretaries for the state, participated in the review meeting. Babaria joined the meeting online.

The Congress appeared confident of dislodging the BJP dispensation that was in power for 10 years and facing anti-incumbency.

However, the BJP with 48 seats halted the Congress’ comeback attempt and proved exit polls wrong. The Congress managed to muster 37 seats in the 90-member assembly.