Chandigarh: The BJP, leading in Haryana, hit the majority mark of 46 in the 90-member Assembly, as per the latest Election Commission of India (ECI) data available at 10.45 am. The BJP is leading in 46 seats, the Congress in 37, the INLD in one seat, the BSP in one and five Independent candidates were also ahead. The prospective chief ministerial faces of both parties -- Nayab Singh Saini of the BJP and Bhupinder Hooda of the Congress -- are leading in their respective seats. The BJP is aiming for the third consecutive term and the principal Opposition Congress is predicting a comeback in Haryana.
Several exit polls had predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term in Haryana. The counting of votes for the 90-member Assembly is peacefully underway at 93 counting centres in all 22 districts.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said that his party, the BJP, will form the government in the state with a full majority for the third time when the results are officially announced on October 8. However, former Haryana CM and Congress leader Bhoopendra Singh Hooda seemed confident of a majority for his party. "Congress will form government in Haryana with full majority," he said.
Two counting centres each were set up for the Badshahpur, Gurugram and Pataudi Assembly constituencies, while one counting centre each has been established for the remaining 87 Assembly constituencies, said Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal. Agarwal said 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed at all counting centres. Central security forces have been deployed in the innermost security cover. After that, state-armed police and district police personnel were deployed in the outermost cover. Around 12,000 police personnel are on duty.
A total of 67.90 per cent of voting took place in the election on October 5. The highest -- 75.36 per cent -- was recorded in the Sirsa district and the lowest -- 56.49 per cent -- was recorded in the Faridabad district. Constituency-wise, the highest 80.61 per cent voting was recorded in Ellenabad and the lowest 48.27 per cent voting was in Badkhal. A majority of exit polls predicted the Congress would wrest power from the BJP in Haryana after remaining in opposition for 10 years.
The Congress carried a high-decibel campaign under former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and exit polls gave them a majority. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), JannayakJanata Party (JJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are also in the fray. Many Independents, mostly BJP rebels, made the contest multi-cornered on several seats. The BJP's vote share in the October 2019 Assembly election was 36.49 per cent when the party could not cross the halfway mark in the 90-member Assembly and stitched a post-poll alliance with the JJP. The Congress registered over a 15 per cent rise in its vote share in 2024 in comparison to the 2019 Parliamentary election vote share. (With agency inputs).
