32 votes, 2 rivals, and a courtroom showdown: SC turns down Haryana MLA Devender Attri’s plea against recount

“It is another step towards resolution. I hope that the justice shall soon be delivered. My petition is already on advance stages of hearing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The last date of the hearing in the Supreme Court was January 19, but the other party’s counsel had sought an adjournment that came up for hearing today. Their SLP was dismissed today,” Singh told The Indian Express.

While Attri, a 45-year-old businessman, polled 48,968 votes, Singh got 48,935 votes. Senior Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader and former Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala finished a distant fifth with 7,950 votes.

What happened in court last year

In March 2025, Singh moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, arguing that the election result was compromised due to improper handling of postal ballots. His main claim was that 150 postal votes were cancelled solely because scanners failed to read the barcodes on ballot envelopes. According to Singh, election rules clearly lay down a procedure for dealing with such unscanned envelopes, including opening and manually verifying them—steps that were allegedly never followed.

Singh told the court that when the number of rejected or cancelled votes exceeds the margin of victory, the returning officer is legally bound to re-examine those votes after counting is complete. With the winning margin standing at just 32 votes, Brijendra argued that the failure to scrutinise the 150 rejected ballots struck at the very legitimacy of the outcome.

The high court began hearing Singh’s petition in July 2025. The counsel for Attri raised objections, questioning the maintainability of the petition. During the proceedings, the court made a pointed remark, asking why Attri appeared “so afraid” of a recount. Soon after, Attri filed 10 formal objections.

In September 2025, the court heard Attri’s appeal, seeking dismissal of Singh’s petition and reserved its order. The high court later rejected Attri’s plea to stop the recounting process, framed issues in the case, and, during a hearing on September 23, 2025, summoned the returning officer. Singh personally appeared in court, reiterating that 150 postal ballot envelopes were never opened or verified.

Knock on SC doors

Seeking to halt the proceedings, Attri approached the Supreme Court in February 2026, filing an SLP to stay the high court hearings and prevent any recounting of votes. The apex court, however, has now dismissed Attri’s petition, clearing the way for the high court to continue hearing the matter—a setback for the sitting MLA.

Who are the two contenders?

Devender Attri, the sitting MLA from Uchana Kalan, comes from a political family. His father, Chaturbhuj Attri, was associated with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Devender Attri himself began his political journey with INLD, later joined the Dushyant Chautala-led JJP, and switched to the BJP in 2019. Contesting on a BJP ticket in 2024, he won the seat by defeating Brijendra Singh. Uchana Kalan is traditionally seen as a stronghold of the Chautala clan as well as the family of former Union minister Birender Singh, making the contest politically symbolic.

Brijendra Singh is a former IAS officer-turned-politician with a high-profile lineage. The son of Birender Singh and former MLA Premlata Singh, he also traces his family legacy to Sir Chhotu Ram. Academically accomplished, Brijendra Singh studied at St Stephen’s College, JNU, and King’s College London, before securing All-India Rank 9 in the Civil Services Examination in 1998. He served for over 21 years in the IAS, holding key posts including deputy commissioner of Faridabad and Chandigarh, before entering politics.

Brijendra Singh won the Hisar Lok Sabha seat in 2019 on a BJP ticket, resigned from the party in March 2024, joined the Congress, and contested the Uchana Kalan Assembly seat—only to lose by 32 votes. He currently serves as vice-chairman of the Congress foreign affairs department and remains politically active in Haryana.