The polling for the 90-member legislative Assembly in BJP-ruled Haryana began on Saturday, with 2.03 crore electorates voting to decide the fate of 1031 candidates. Outgoing Chief Minister and BJP leader Nayab Singh Saini said he was confident that the party would form the government at the state level for the third time with an overwhelming majority.
Nevertheless, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Hooda is just as self-assured about ousting the 10-year government mainly due to "existing resentment" among farmers, government employees, unemployed youth, and wrestlers—all important vote banks.
We are winning and forming the government for the third consecutive time with a considerable margin. The BJP is going to form a government in Haryana for the third successive time with the historic margin. People have given a strong rebuke to 'jhooth ki rajneeti' (Politics of Lies) of the Congress, said he after casting his vote in the hometown Mirzapur.
"They lied during the Lok Sabha polls that the Constitution is in danger and reservation will end. Rahul Gandhi is the biggest face of ending reservation. People here in India are awake about what he says in English in foreign countries," he said.
Congress veteran Hooda, who leads the Congress campaign, asked voters that "every vote will decide the future and direction of the state".
All of you must vote for the progress and prosperity of the state and also motivate people around you to vote," he said in a message on X.
A total of 20,632 polling booths have been set up for the election amid tight security, and polling will continue until 6 P.M.
While the Congress is banking on "strong anti-incumbency" against the BJP, the latter is depending on its "good performance and achievements" of the last 10 years.
The high-decibel month-long electioneering, especially from Congress and the BJP saw both contesting on 89 seats to woo the support of 2.03 crore electorates in this 90-member legislative Assembly.
Among the high-profile leaders facing elections are: Chief Minister Saini from Ladwa, Congress veteran Hooda from his stronghold Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, former minister and BJP's Ambala Cantonment candidate Anil Vij, former BJP finance minister Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaund, former state BJP chief Om Prakash Dhankar from Badli, and former BJP minister Ranjit Singh, who is contesting as an Independent from Rania.
One of the earliest to cast an early vote was Olympic wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, Congress candidate from Julana Assembly constituency.
"It is a huge festival for Haryana and a very big day for the people of the state… Ten years ago, when Bhupinder Hooda was the CM, the level of sports in the state was really good. It is not in my hands (to become a minister), it is in the hands of the high command," she told the media at a polling station in Charkhi Dadri, her hometown.
A confident former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is predicting an over 50 BJP seats for this elections.
"The Bharatiya Janata Party would secure more than 50 seats in the Haryana Assembly elections," Union Minister Khattar said after casting his vote at a polling booth in his hometown of Karnal.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said his party, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), will get good numbers.
This time we are in alliance with the Azad Samaj Party, and we will get good numbers," said Dushyant Chautala, the JJP's candidate from Uchana Kalan, who came along with his wife and mother to a polling booth in Sirsa.
Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat exercises his right to vote at a polling station in Kurukshetra.
After casting his vote, Devvrat said that his family voted today and urged all the people of Haryana to exercise their right to vote in order to play an important role in forming a good society.
Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal stated that every vote counts and people should actively participate in this festival of democracy by exercising their franchise.
He said that 2.03 crore voters, which comprised 1.07 crore men, 95,77,926 women, and 467 voters of the third gender, would exercise their franchise.
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