Women show their fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their votes at a polling station at Balali village during the Haryana Assembly elections, in Charkhi Dadri district, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: At least 66.96 per cent of the 2.03 crore voters exercised their franchise in the Haryana Assembly elections on Saturday, sealing the fate of 1,031 candidates in 90 seats with the BJP hoping to return to power for a third time and the Congress seeking a comeback after ten years.
Though there were minor incidents of commotion, polling was held in a rather peaceful atmosphere, as top contenders like Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and wrestler-turned Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat, INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala and the JJP's Dushyant Chautala hoped to secure victories.
In Nuh district, there were reports of scuffle between supporters of Congress sitting MLA from Punhana and independent candidate Rahish Khan. Haryana Jan Sevak Party nominee from the Meham constituency Balraj Kundu accused former MLA Anand Singh Dangi of assaulting him and his assistant at a polling booth.
Polling began at 7 AM and ended at 6 PM. The turnout was recorded at 66.96 per cent at 12 midnight on the Election Commission’s Voter Turnout App, which is likely to increase at the final count. The voter turnout in 2019 was 68 per cent while in the recent Lok Sabha elections it was 64.8 per cent.
Polling was low in Faridabad (55.46 per cent) and Gurugram (57.73 per cent) districts, both neighbouring the national capital, as compared to others. The highest turnout was recorder in Fatehabad (74.51 per cent).
The BJP is fighting in 89 constituencies, leaving the Sirsa seat for Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda. Congress is also contesting in 89 seats, leaving Bhiwani to its ally CPI(M). AAP, INLD-BSP and JJP-ASP (Kanshiram) alliances are also contesting in all seats.
Among the early voters were Saini, Hooda, former Chief Minister M L Khattar, Olympic medal winner Manu Bhaker and senior Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala. Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal went to cast his vote on horseback and said "riding a horse is considered auspicious and people ride horses while going to attend weddings. That is why I came on a horse for this auspicious work."
Saini said, "The Congress has a dual face, they talk of honesty but they indulge in loot. The mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form the government for the third time with a big mandate." Hooda countered it by saying, "BJP is on its way out, the Congress is coming back to power."
INLD's Chautala claimed that neither the Congress nor the BJP will win a majority while JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said he wanted to appeal to the people of Haryana to ensure that their votes decide the future of the state.
Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.