Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Credit: X/@NayabSainiBJP
Chandigarh: Even as Haryana went to vote, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday accused the Congress of following the policy of plundering the state by deceiving the electorate.
"Congress does the politics of 'jhooth and loot' and the people of Haryana have understood this. They have made up their minds to bring back the BJP in Haryana for a third time," Saini told reporters on the day of the voting.
Saini, among the earlycomers, came to the booth with his wife Suman and cast his vote in his native village, Mirza, in Ambala district's Naraingarh.
Voting for all 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, which began at 7 am, will conclude at 6 pm, while the counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.
Saini is contesting the polls from Ladwa in the Kurukshetra district.
Before he cast his vote, Saini prayed at Guru Ravidas temple and a gurdwara in his village.
"The mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form a government for the third time with a big mandate," Saini told reporters.
He claimed that the BJP's "double-engine" government did excellent work in 10 years and the farmers – who have been agitating on and off over minimum wage – have been happy with his government's policies.
Meanwhile, former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who cast his vote in Karnal, claimed Congress is racked with infighting. "There is a pall of gloom in the Congress' camp. It's chaotic there." Asked about BJP leader Ashok Tanwar returning to the Congress fold just two days before polls, Khattar said Tanwar has revived the "aaya ram gaya ram" politics.
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.