Voting Concludes for Haryana Assembly Elections, Counting Underway

The 15th Haryana Assembly General Elections were conducted in a single phase on October 5, 2024. The voter turnout recorded was 68%. The counting of votes commenced on October 7, 2024, at 8 a.m.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal, the district of Sirsa reported the highest voter turnout at 75.36%, while the Faridabad district noted the lowest, with 56.49% of the eligible voters casting their votes. Among the constituencies, Ellenabad recorded the highest turnout at 80.61%, and Badkhal marked the lowest at 48.27%.

The total electorate for these elections was 2,03,54,350, from which 1,38,19,776 participated, including 74,28,124 men, 63,91,534 women, and 118 third-gender voters.

A robust three-tier security system has been put in place to protect the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) as reported by Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal. These machines are being stored under strict security at Kurukshetra University.

Although exit polls have projected a victory for the Congress, trends show a competitive atmosphere with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress expressing confidence in their performances. Early trends indicated that the BJP maintained a lead on several seats.

Key political figures include former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of the Congress, who led in Rohtak, and rebel BJP leader Devender Kadyan, competing as an Independent in Ganaur.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, representing the BJP, was observed leading from the Ladwa constituency, confident about securing another term for the party despite allegations of corruption from the opposition, Congress.

In a significant development, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini offered prayers ahead of the vote counting, expressing hope for a successful outcome for the BJP.

The election has been largely characterized as a bipolar contest dominated by BJP and Congress, although alliances such as the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and other smaller parties remain in the fray. Various issues such as farmer distress, military recruitment policies, and local governance were at the forefront of the voters’ concerns.