India's Congress party complains to election body over outcome of state poll

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's main opposition Congress party has complained to the election panel about concerns regarding the counting of votes in state elections in Haryana won by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it said.

The partial rejection of the outcome, which gave the BJP 48 state constituencies against 37 for the Congress, was unusual in the world's most populous democracy, where the credibility of elections has rarely been questioned in recent decades.  

The Congress, projected by exit polls to win the election in the northern breadbasket state, had said earlier it would not accept the "totally unexpected, completely surprising and counter-intuitive" result.  

Senior Congress leaders who met the Election Commission of India (ECI) said they told it of complaints from 20 of the state's 90 constituencies, and had been assured their concerns would be looked into.   

"The Election Commission was handed over written complaints from seven constituencies while the remaining complaints will be submitted in another two days," the party said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge that day, the election panel said the Congress's rejection infringed the norms of free speech. 

"Such an unprecedented statement ... unheard in the rich democratic heritage of the country, is far from a legitimate part of free speech and moves towards an undemocratic rejection of the will of the people," it said. 

The BJP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Media reported BJP spokesperson Anil Baluni as saying the Congress was defeated because it lost its connection with people in the state, rather than because of any discrepancies in vote counting. 

Indian law allows candidates to complain to the ECI about counting issues and seek redress. If unsatisfied by its response, they may appeal to the courts.     

The Haryana elections were Modi's first test of popularity since his return in June as prime minister for a record third straight term, albeit with the help of allies, after having fallen short of an absolute majority.    

Last month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, whose family has given India three prime ministers, said he did not view this year's general elections as a free exercise, but as one structured to favor Modi, without citing evidence.

Its Haryana win would be a shot in the arm for the BJP prior to regional polls in the more politically significant states of western Maharashtra and mineral-rich Jharkhand.

Those elections have yet to be announced, but are expected to be held in November.

(Reporting by Sakshi Dayal and Pushkala Aripaka; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)