Senior BJP leader Anil Vij on Sunday asserted that his party is fully prepared to contest the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, despite facing criticism from opposition parties for allegedly seeking to change the date of polls scheduled for 1 October. The BJP's request to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to shift the election date stems from concerns that the long holidays surrounding the date could negatively impact voter turnout.
"The date that has been announced—if one takes a day off, it becomes a five-day holiday. There is a fear that people might go out of state, leading to a drop in the voting percentage. Congress has reacted to this, but we are not asking to move the date forward; you (ECI) can move it back. Move it back by 2-3 days so that this 5-day chunk does not occur. People should not be able to take a 5-day holiday. Move it back by 4-5 days, we are ready. You can conduct the election tomorrow; my party is ready to contest," he remarked expressing confidence in the BJP's poll prospects.
Vij, a former Haryana Home Minister, also highlighted that the BJP recently conducted a two-day marathon meeting, during which they compiled a panel for every seat in the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha. These names have been submitted to the Central Election Committee.
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"Which party gives tickets to whom is their concern. Who we give tickets to is our concern. We will also give tickets to our best candidates. We had a two-day marathon meeting, formed a panel, and referred it to the central election committee..." added Vij, as quoted by IANS.
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The remarks come as the BJP's stance has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of the Opposition and former Haryana Chief Minister claimed that the BJP's request to defer the elections indicates that it has already conceded defeat. "It has been more than a week since the Election Commission announced the poll date. The BJP wants the polls to be deferred as it has accepted defeat. Polls should be held according to the date fixed by the EC... People of Haryana don't want to see the BJP government in power even for a day," Hooda stated, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Deepender Hooda, Bhupinder Hooda's son and Rohtak MP, echoed his father's sentiments. Referring to the BJP's stance as "childish," he remarked on X (formerly Twitter), "It shows how scared the BJP is of the elections. The BJP is staring at defeat and is therefore coming up with such childish arguments. It has no issues, work or achievements to show to the people and no candidates to distribute the tickets. This is why the BJP is conspiring to postpone the elections by giving an excuse for holidays. The voters of Haryana are aware. They will not go anywhere for a holiday, but will come to the polling booth in large numbers to vote out the BJP government."
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also criticised the BJP's approach, suggesting that the ruling party is already searching for excuses due to its anticipated defeat. In a post on X, the AAP Haryana unit stated, "BJP did not do a single work for the people of Haryana in 10 years and now it is trying to postpone the elections due to fear of defeat. But the people of Haryana have made up their mind - this time BJP's deposit is sure to be forfeited in the elections."
Meanwhile, Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Abhay Chautala has supported the idea of postponing the election date by one or two weeks, citing concerns that long weekends could result in a 15 to 20 per cent decrease in voter turnout.
The Election Commission had announced on 16 August that the Haryana Assembly polls would be conducted in a single phase on 1 October, with the results to be declared on 4 October. The BJP is eyeing a third consecutive term, while the Congress is aiming to reclaim power in the state.
The current tenure of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha is set to end on 3 November.