Haryana: Voting commenced on Saturday for 90 assembly seats in Haryana following an intense campaigning period by major political parties, including the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Former Haryana Chief Minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar cast his vote at GGSSS Prem Nagar in Karnal. He urged citizens to exercise their voting rights, stating that the administration had made proper arrangements for peaceful elections and expressed confidence that the BJP would secure a third consecutive term in power.
This election is crucial, with the BJP aiming for a third straight term, while Congress seeks to regain power, leveraging sentiments against the incumbent government, as well as addressing issues stemming from farmer and wrestler protests. The primary parties in the contest include the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and alliances such as the Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (ASP).
Voting will take place from 7 am to 6 pm, with a total of 1,031 candidates contesting across all 90 constituencies and 20,632 polling booths established. Results for the Haryana Assembly elections will be announced alongside those from Jammu and Kashmir on October 8.
According to Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer, Pankaj Agarwal, there are 2,03,54,350 registered voters, comprising 1,07,75,957 males, 95,77,926 females, and 467 third-gender voters. In preparation for the elections, the state has deployed a total of 29,462 police personnel, 21,196 home guards, and 10,403 Special Police Officers (SPOs) to ensure a secure voting environment.
Manohar Lal Khattar, who served as chief minister for about 9.5 years, was succeeded by Nayab Singh Saini in March. Saini is contesting from the Ladwa constituency and the BJP is campaigning under Khattar’s leadership. Notable candidates include wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who joined Congress on September 6, alongside fellow Olympian Bajrang Punia, after her disqualification in the women’s 50 kg final at the Paris Olympics.
The JJP-ASP alliance plans to contest all 90 Assembly constituencies, with JJP fielding candidates in 70 and ASP in 20. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 40 seats and formed a coalition government with the JJP, which secured 10 seats, while Congress obtained 31 seats. However, the JJP subsequently left the coalition.