The countdown begins for the highly anticipated counting of votes in the Haryana assembly elections, set for Tuesday, October 8. This election carries substantial weight, coming on the heels of the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress emerged as dominant forces in shaping the state’s political narrative.
The counting process will commence at 8 am, with election officials and party representatives expected to arrive at the counting centres by 5 am. Polling officials will undergo briefings and take their designated positions at the counting tables by 6 am to ensure a smooth and transparent process.
The counting process will start with postal ballots, distributed to designated groups such as persons with disabilities, security forces, and key government workers.
Once the postal votes are tallied, the focus will shift to the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), giving a full picture of the voters’ choices.
In these crucial elections, the contest between the ruling BJP and Congress has intensified. The BJP, in power for the last two terms, is facing strong anti-incumbency due to voter dissatisfaction with unresolved socio-economic issues.
The Congress is trying to make a comeback, using public discontent with the current government to its advantage. With results on Tuesday, both parties are in a tough battle for the mandate to shape Haryana’s future.
What did exit polls predict for the final results in Haryana?
The exit polls predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana with some surveys predicting more than 50 seats. Two major parties, the ruling BJP and the Congress expressed confidence in thumping victory. The majority mark to form a government in Haryana is 46.
The Congress’ likely victory in Haryana will see the grand old party continue its resurgence that began with the Lok Sabha polls earlier in the year. The Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit won 99 seats, nearly doubling its tally from the 2019 general elections, when it won 52 seats. It had won 44 seats in 2019.
Also, of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, the BJP and Congress won five each, with the former’s tally falling by five and the latter’s rising by the same number.
Who are the key candidates to watch in Haryana?
Among the key contestants is BJP leader and incumbent chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is contesting from the Ladwa assembly seat in Kurukshetra district. In 2014, Saini won from the Naraingarh assembly constituency. However, in 2019, he won from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat.
Veteran Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is contesting from his traditional Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district. The two-time chief minister and four-time MP is seen as a probable chief minister candidate for the Congress, although there has not been any official announcement yet.
Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat is contesting from the Julana seat in Jind district as a Congress candidate. Phogat hails from Charkhi Dadri district, but her in-laws are from Julana. The Olympian was among the wrestlers at the forefront of the protest against the then Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023.
Former BJP leader Savitri Jindal is contesting as an Independent candidate from the Hisar seat. The chairperson of the OP Jindal Group, Savitri is India’s richest woman and the mother of BJP MP Naveen Jindal. She has a net worth of ₹270 crore, making her the second wealthiest candidate in the race.
Dushyant Chautala is a fourth-generation politician from the family of Chaudhary Devi Lal, the former Deputy Prime Minister who also served as Chief Minister of Haryana twice and founded the INLD.
What next for BJP and Congress?
With the Congress already in power in Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh, and forming alliances in Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand, the party has regained its footing after being significantly weakened just five years ago, when it suffered a major defeat in the Lok Sabha elections and state polls.
A victory in Haryana would further strengthen its position, allowing it to assert dominance in upcoming elections in other states.
With elections still pending in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc has an opportunity to increase its influence by dislodging the Eknath Shinde-led NDA government in Maharashtra. However, a loss in Haryana would pose a challenge for the BJP in these states.