Voters show their inked fingers after casting votes during the Haryana Assembly elections, at Badsa village in Badli tehsil of Jhajjar district, Haryana, Saturday, October 5. PTI
Haryana Assembly polls 2024 LIVE: Voting ends; 61% voter turnout till 5 pm
A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting in all 90 Haryana Assembly constituencies, including 101 women
Voting began at 7 am today (October 5) in the elections to the 90-member Haryana Assembly with the ruling BJP eyeing a hat-trick of wins in the state while the Congress is hoping to make a comeback after a decade. Over 2 crore people are eligible to vote. The counting of votes will be held on October 8.
As per the latest update from the Election Commission (EC), the voter turnout at 5 pm was 61 per cent. Voting concluded at 6 pm. Counting of votes is on October 8.
The fate of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and Vinesh Phogat of the Congress besides JJP's Dushyant Chautala and 1027 other candidates will be decided on Saturday.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker were among the early voters.
Also read: Why women leaders are giving BJP headaches in battleground Haryana
Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said 2,03,54,350 voters, including 8,821 centurions, are eligible to exercise their franchise and the voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm.
A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting in all 90 Assembly constituencies, including 101 women. Among these candidates, 464 are contesting as independents. A total of 20,632 polling booths have been set up for voting, Agarwal said on Friday.
Also read: Haryana polls | Rahul Gandhi: Congress govt will end 'decade of pain'
The key contesting parties in the fray are BJP, Congress, AAP, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party.
The high-octane campaign came to an end Thursday evening. The BJP's campaign was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who addressed four rallies, where he attacked the Congress on several issues and said they kept every matter important for the country entangled, including the Ram temple issue.
He also said corruption runs in the veins of the Congress and alleged it has "turned into a party of 'dalals' (middlemen) and 'damad' (son-in-law)".
Also read: October 8 Assembly poll results will mark 'countdown' to PM Modi’s 'exit': Jairam Ramesh
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also addressed many public meetings where he asserted that a "Congress storm" is on its way in Haryana and his party would form the government which will be one for the poor and farmers, and a 'mohabbat ki dukan' will be opened in every corner of the state.
In the previous Haryana Assembly polls in 2019, the BJP had won 40 seats, the Congress 31 and JJP 10.
Also read: Can Modi magic and OBCs help BJP trump all its troubles in Haryana?
Also watch: ‘Desperate’ BJP changes tack in Haryana
Also read: Haryana: Dalit leader Ashok Tanwar's return to Congress stuns BJP on poll eve
Live Updates
- 5 Oct 2024 9:09 AM GMT
Recognise your power on 'day of change': Vinesh Phogat urges Haryana voters
Congress candidate and Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat urged people to recognise their power and exercise their franchise on Saturday in the Haryana assembly election, saying it is the day of change.
Phogat is contesting from the Julana seat in Jind district on a Congress ticket.
After casting her vote at Balali in Charkhi Dadri district, Phogat said, "People of Haryana have huge expectations from the Congress. Everyone should come and cast their votes." Replying to a query, she said unemployment, drugs and women's safety are some of the major issues facing the state.
"We want to work in all areas in the coming five years. Today is the day of change, today is the day to awaken new hope. I appeal to the people of Haryana to come out of their homes and recognise their power," Phogat said.
- 5 Oct 2024 8:35 AM GMT
Haryana turnout latest updates.
The voter-turnout across Haryana was 36.69%. (1 pm)
Available figures break-up
Panchkula (25.8%)
Gurgaon (27.7%)
Sonipat (33%)
- 5 Oct 2024 7:27 AM GMT
Over 22 per cent polling in first four hours
Over 22 per cent polling was recorded in the first four hours of voting in the Haryana assembly election on Saturday. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker were among the early voters.
Leader of Opposition in the assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress leaders Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala also cast their votes in the early hours of polling.
Saini, Hooda, Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat and the JJP's Dushyant Chautala are among the top names in the fray. A total of 1,027 candidates are contesting the election.
- 5 Oct 2024 5:43 AM GMT
Congress has been plundering nation, says Haryana CM
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 even as Haryana voted.
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.
