Haryana Elections: 61% Turnout Till 5 PM Recorded As Voting Ends In Haryana; All Eyes On October 8
The key contesting parties in Haryana include BJP, Congress, and AAP, as well as the pre-poll alliance between Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party and Jannayak Janta Party-Azad Samaj Party.
Voting for the high-stakes Haryana assembly elections concluded at 6 pm on Saturday, with a voter turnout of 61 per cent recorded till 5 pm. Now all eyes are on October 8, when the votes will be counted, to see if the BJP scores a hat-trick or if the Congress can benefit from the anti-incumbency in the state. The voting for all 90 seats began at 7 am with some minor incidents of violence being reported in the Nuh district.
So far, the Mewat seat recorded the highest voting percentage, while Faridabad seat saw the lowest voter turnout.
In a surprising move on election day, the Haryana unit of Bharatiya Janata Party expelled four leaders, including India's 'richest woman' Savitri Jindal, from the party for six years for contesting the Haryana assembly elections as independent candidates. As many as 1,031 candidates, including over 400 independents, fought the election.
The election is a high-stakes battle for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which seeks a third consecutive term in office, while the opposition Congress hopes for a comeback after a decade. The contests in Haryana's key constituencies, including Sohna, Julana, Ladwa, Rania, and Uchana Kalan, will determine the fate of prominent leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded BJP's campaign and addressed four rallies, where he attacked the Congress on several issues and said they kept every matter important for the country entangled, including the Ram Temple issue. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also addressed multiple rallies where he said a "Congress storm" is on its way in Haryana.
Just days ahead of the polls, senior BJP leader and former MP Ashok Tanwar joined the Congress at Rahul Gandhi's rally in Mahendragarh district Thursday. Shortly before joining the Congress, the former Sirsa MP was campaigning for the BJP candidate in the Safidon assembly constituency.
The BJP is not contesting the Sirsa seat, from where Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda is seeking re-election. The key contesting parties in Haryana include BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as well as the pre-poll alliance between Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (ASP).
Key Candidates In Haryana
CM Nayab Singh Saini – Ladwa
BJP leader and incumbent chief minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini is contesting from the Ladwa Assembly seat in Kurukshetra district. Saini won from Naraingarh Assembly in 2014. In 2019, he won from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda – Garhi Sampla-Kiloi
Former chief minister Hooda is a veteran Congress leader who is contesting from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district. He is a two-time chief minister and four-time MP.
Savitri Jindal – Hisar
Former BJP leader Savitri Jindal is the chairperson of the OP Jindal Group and India's richest woman. She is contesting the upcoming elections as an Independent candidate from Hisar seat. and mother of BJP MP Naveen Jindal. She has net worth of ₹270 crore, making her the second wealthiest candidate in the race.
Vinesh Phogat – Julana
Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat is contesting from the Julana seat in Jind district on a Congress ticket. Phogat was among wrestlers at the forefront of the sexual harassment protest against then Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023.
Dushyant Chautala – Uchana Kalan
Dushyant Chautala is a fourth-generation politician from the family of Chaudhary Devi Lal. He is contesting the elections from Uchana Kalan seat.
What Have Parties Promised?
The Congress has announced seven guarantees, including the promises of a legal guarantee for MSP, a caste survey, and Rs 2,000 per month to women, if voted to power.
On the other hand, the BJP has promised a monthly assistance of Rs 2,100 for women, two lakh government jobs for the youth and guaranteed government jobs for 'Agniveers' hailing from the state.
Haryana 2019 Elections
The last Assembly elections took place in October 2019, which resulted in a hung assembly, with no major party achieving a clear majority. The BJP secured 40 seats, followed by Congress (31 seats). The JJP managed 10 seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) obtained only one seat. The remaining eight seats were won by independent candidates and smaller parties.
The BJP formed an alliance with the JJP, leading to Manohar Lal Khattar serving as Chief Minister. However, this coalition collapsed in March of this year, prompting Khattar's resignation. On the same day, Nayab Singh Saini took the oath as Chief Minister and has been leading a minority government since May 2024, when three independent legislators withdrew their support.
Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said 2,03,54,350 voters, including 8,821 centurions, were eligible to exercise their franchise.
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