Politics
BJP Eyes Hat-Trick, Congress Aims Comeback As Voting Begins For Haryana Assembly Polls
Haryana CM Nayab Saini
Haryana is witnessing a multi-front electoral contest with more than 2 crore voters set to decide the fate of 90 legislators in today's single-phase Assembly elections.
Voting commenced at 7 am on Saturday (5 October) and will continue until 6 pm, as the incumbent BJP aims for a third consecutive term in power, while the Congress looks to stage a comeback after a decade.
These elections will shape the political future of prominent figures such as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress contender Vinesh Phogat, JJP chief Dushyant Chautala, along with 1,027 other candidates vying for seats.
While the BJP is aiming for its third straight victory, it faces stiff competition from the Congress, which is seeking to regain control after 10 years.
Regional forces like Dushyant Chautala’s JJP, which allied with the BJP from 2019 to early 2024, and Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, have also strategically placed themselves to act as possible kingmakers in this election.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP secured 40 seats, Congress bagged 31, and the JJP claimed 10.
However, the alliance broke down in early 2024 after the BJP replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as the state’s Chief Minister.
More than 30,000 police officers and 225 paramilitary companies have been deployed across the state for the voting.
The voter base consists of 1.07 crore men, 95 lakh women, and 467 transgender voters.
The counting of votes is scheduled for 8 October.
