Haryana recorded an overall voter turnout of nearly 50 per cent till 3 pm as the state votes to elect 90 legislators in a single-phase Assembly election on Saturday in a multi-cornered battle. Polling in some regions crossed 56 per cent till 3 pm, with officials calling it an "encouraging trend".
"This is a very encouraging trend, and I am confident that we will achieve a good overall voter turnout," a senior poll body official said earlier today, also noting, "If we calculate the average so far, I believe we should aim for at least a 70-75 per cent voter turnout, and it could even be higher".
The voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm as the ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of Assembly election wins, while the Congress is hoping to return to power after 10 years.
The polls will determine the political fate of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, and 1,027 other candidates.
The BJP, eyeing a third consecutive term, faces a significant challenge from the Congress, which hopes to reclaim power after a decade. Even regional parties such as Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which had an alliance with the BJP from 2019 until early 2024, and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have positioned themselves to potentially play the role of kingmakers.
A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting in this election, including 101 women and 464 independents. Notable figures include Chief Minister Saini (Ladwa), Leader of Opposition Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), Indian National Lok Dal's Abhay Singh Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), and Congress's Vinesh Phogat (Julana).
Former BJP MP Shruti Choudhry and her cousin Anirudh Chaudhary are contesting from Tosham. Additionally, former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi will represent the BJP from the Adampur seat. Among the independent candidates include Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).
The BJP, which has governed the state for the past decade, is aiming for a third consecutive victory. However, the saffron party faces the challenge of overcoming 10 years of anti-incumbency. In 2014, the BJP, buoyed by the Modi wave, secured 47 seats, forming its first-ever government in Haryana with Manohar Lal Khattar as Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini remains optimistic, highlighting the development work his government has undertaken over the past decade, asserting that Haryana has become a "developed state" under the BJP's leadership.
Congress is hopeful of capitalising on its strong showing in the recent Lok Sabha elections. The party's manifesto offers seven guarantees, including a legal assurance for MSPs, a caste survey, and a Rs 2,000 monthly allowance for women. Rahul Gandhi has led the Congress campaign, criticising the BJP on key issues such as the Agniveer scheme, farmers protest and the wrestlers' agitation.
Voting across the 90 constituencies takes place between 7 am and 6 pm. The electoral process will see over two crore voters, including 8,821 centenarians, casting their votes across 20,632 polling booths. Out of the total voters, 1,07,75,957 are men, 95,77,926 are women, and 467 are transgenders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people in Haryana to exercise their voting rights to "set a new record". He tweeted, "Today is voting for the Haryana Assembly elections. I appeal to all voters to be a part of this holy festival of democracy and set a new record of voting. On this occasion, my special best wishes to all the young friends of the state who are going to vote for the first time."
In the last Assembly polls held in 2019, the BJP had won 40 seats, the Congress 31 and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) 10. The voter turnout recorded in 2019 was around 68 per cent.
The BJP formed the government in 2019 with the support of the JJP while most of the Independent MLAs had also extended support to the saffron party. However, the JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended after the latter replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Saini as the chief minister in March.
Exit poll predictions for the Assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, where polling concluded on October 1, are expected to be released on Saturday evening after voting concludes. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.
Source: India Today