An elderly voter Banarsi Das (92) being assisted by his family members as they arrive to cast their votes at a polling station during the Haryana Assembly elections, in Kaithal, on October 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Voting started amid tight security for the 2024 Assembly elections in Haryana on Saturday (October 5, 2024), which has recorded 9.53% voter turnout till 10 a.m.
The voting started at 7 a.m. and long queues were seen at several polling booths as the voters would decide the electoral fate of 1,031 candidates including 101 women. According to the Election Commission of India, the turnout till 10 a.m. was 9.53% in Haryana.
To ensure law and order situation and peaceful voting during the elections, 225 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed across the State. This includes 40 companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 25 Border Security Force (BSF), 45 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 35 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 45 Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and 35 companies of Railway Protection Force (RPF.)
Additionally, 391 Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and 453 Flying Squads Teams (FST) have been deployed for surveillance. Vigilance is also being maintained with 133 checkpoints (Nakkas) on the State borders and 140 checkpoints within the State, according to Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal.
The key candidates whose fate would be sealed in the EVMs include Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat of the Congress besides Jannayak Janta Party’s (JJP) Dushyant Chautalat.
The Assembly election in Haryana saw a high-pitched election campaign amid a largely bipolar contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and its key challenger the Indian National Congress.
Watch: Haryana elections | What are the main parties promising?
Though multiple political parties and several Independents, including party rebels, are in the fray, multi-corner fight was seen on some seats. The BJP, which appears to be battling ‘anti-incumbency’ is confident to regain power on what it terms as its effective fight against ‘corruption’ and ‘nepotism’, and ensuring ‘transparency’ in the government during its rule.
Meanwhile, counting on the possible ‘undercurrent’ against the incumbent government, the Congress party aggressively campaigned to corner the BJP on non-fulfilment of promises, farmer’s distress, unemployment and economic slowdown.
Decoding Haryana’s political landscape
Apart from the BJP and the Congress, the JJP, the former coalition partner of the BJP, is contesting the poll in alliance with Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) are also in the fray.
Besides, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also taken the plunge by fielding candidates across the State. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Haryana Lokhit Party are other parties in the battle. In the previous Assembly polls in 2019, the BJP had won 40 seats, the Congress 31 and JJP 10.
Published – October 05, 2024 10:46 am IST
