Former Haryana home minister Anil Vij has won the Ambala Cantt seat by a margin of 7,277 votes against his nearest rival. Exit polls indicated that Vij was a strong contender for his seat, with independent candidate Chitra Sarwara as his main opponent. Congress's Parvinder Singh Pari followed third as per the seat outcome.
During the recent polling for 90 Assembly constituencies on 5 October, Vij exercised his franchise in his constituency and expressed confidence that the BJP would form the government in Haryana.
He also asserted his position as a senior leader within the state unit to present himself a suitable candidate for the Chief Minister's post. "In 2014, when our government was formed, I was the senior-most leader. Before that, from 2009 to 2014, I was the Leader of Opposition. During that tenure, I raised many corruption cases during the Congress regime, many of which are still ongoing against Bhupinder Singh Hooda," Vij stated, as quoted by news agency IANS.
He continued, "When Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini as Chief Minister, concerns arose among the people of Haryana, asking why a junior leader like Nayab Singh Saini could become CM but not Anil Vij. Some leaders even remarked that they wanted to make me Chief Minister but believed I didn’t want the role."
Who Is Ex-Haryana Home Minister And 6-Time MLA Anil Vij
Anil Vij was born on 15 March 1953 and became involved with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, during his college years. He was appointed as the General Secretary of ABVP in 1970. Vij first became a legislator in 1990 after winning a by-election and subsequently won elections as an independent candidate in 1996 and 2000. After facing defeat in 2005, he contested the 2009 elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket and secured victory from Ambala Cantt. He continued his success in the 2014 and 2019 elections, serving as the Home Minister in the government of Manohar Lal Khattar, with additional responsibilities for the health department. With his latest win, Vij has now been elected as an MLA seven times.
Haryana Election 2024
In the Haryana Assembly elections held on 5 October, the state recorded a voter turnout of 67.90%, according to updated figures from the Election Commission. In comparison, the 2019 assembly polls had a turnout of 68.31%, while the recent Lok Sabha elections saw a turnout of 64.8%. The Ellenabad assembly seat in Sirsa district witnessed the highest voter turnout at over 80%. Among Haryana's districts, Sirsa recorded the highest voting percentage at 75.36%, while Faridabad had the lowest at 56.49%, as reported by Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal.