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Haryana elections LIVE: 9.53 per cent voting till 9 am; long queues at polling stations

Tribune News Service

Updated At : 10:50 AM Oct 05, 2024 IST

Polling under way for 90 Assembly seats in Haryana. Tribune photo: Deepender Deswal

A voter turnout of 9.53 per cent has been recorded 9 am in Haryana.

Polling for the 90-member Legislative Assembly in the BJP-ruled Haryana began on Saturday morning with 2.03 crore voters eligible to decide the fate of 1,031 candidates in the fray.

A total of 20,632 booths have been set up for the election and polling will continue till 6 pm amid tight security arrangements.

In rural areas of the state, electors were seen reaching polling stations even before voting started at 7 am.

The contest is likely to be a bipolar one between traditional archrivals -- the state's ruling BJP, which is banking on a third successive stint with its "double-engine" government despite internal rebellions, and the principal Opposition Congress, which is eyeing to dethrone it, citing "existing resentment" among crucial sections like farmers, employees, unemployed youth, and wrestlers.

Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said 2.03 crore voters, including 1.07 crore men, 95,77,926 women and 467 third-gender voters would cast votes.

With inputs from Geetanjali Gayatri, Deepender Deswal, Parveen Arora, Bijender Ahlawat, Sunit Dhawan and Ravinder Saini

Senior citizen casts her vote in Faridabad

October 5, 2024 10:50 am

A senior citizen casts her vote at a polling booth in Faridabad.

Vote for Congress to bring change: Rahul, Kharge urge Haryana voters

October 5, 2024 10:36 am

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged voters in Haryana to come out in large numbers to cast their vote for the Congress to help initiate a change in the state. Terming the election underway as “very important,” Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi urged them to vote for the Congress for the prosperity of farmers, jobs of youth, safety and respect of women, security and the well-being of every family. ‘Every vote you give to Congress will protect the Constitution and will become your weapon against the atrocities of the BJP,’ he said in a post in Hindi on X. PTI

BJP MP Kiran Choudhry, daughter Shruti cast their vote

October 5, 2024 10:13 am

BJP MP Kiran Choudhry with her daughter and BJP Tosham candidate Shruti Choudhry cast their vote.

Congress MP Kumari Selja cast vote in Hisar

October 5, 2024 10:04 am

Congress MP Kumari Selja says, "... At the end of the day, our party high command makes decisions... Today's fight will change the fate of Haryana. Although this a one-sided contest... BJP is ready to welcome me because they are already very weak. They will do anything to have strong leaders with them... We will win all 90 seats..."

#WATCH | Hisar, Haryana: Congress MP Kumari Selja says, "... At the end of the day, our party high command makes decisions... Today's fight will change the fate of Haryana. Although this a one-sided contest... BJP is ready to welcome me because they are already very weak. They… https://t.co/Zmty8kwVJw pic.twitter.com/hklMor1hWF
— ANI (@ANI) October 5, 2024

9.53 per cent polling till 9 am

October 5, 2024 9:26 am

Haryana records 9.53 per cent polling till till 9 am.

Voters in Panchkula wait in queues

October 5, 2024 9:26 am

Voters stand in a queue at Government High School in Sector 17 of Haryana's Panchkula.

Saini prays at Guru Ravidas temple and a gurdwara

October 5, 2024 9:06 am

Saini says the mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form government for the third time with a big mandate

हम जीत रहे हैं और बहुत बड़े मैंडेट के साथ भाजपा की सरकार बना रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/XAlfUaiBnR
— Nayab Saini (@NayabSainiBJP) October 5, 2024

Women wait to caste their votes

October 5, 2024 9:00 am

Women voters queue up at a polling station in Rohtak Assembly constituency.

Kundu alleges assault by Dangi

October 5, 2024 9:00 am

Outgoing MLA from Meham, Balraj Kundu alleges physical assault on him and his PA by former Haryana minister and Congress candidate Balram Dangi's father Anand Singh Dangi.

Dushyant Chautala, family votes

October 5, 2024 9:00 am

Dushyant Chautala cast his vote in Sirsa. he was along with his family members.

First vote, then breakfast, says Amit Shah

October 5, 2024 8:25 am

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who campaigned aggressively to ensure the BJP's record third straight win in the state, appealed to voters to "first vote, then have breakfast". "Your one vote will work to keep Haryana free from ‘kharchi, parchi' (the alleged system of favouritism and corruption for recruitment under Congress governments)… I urge all my sisters and brothers to vote to maintain the pace of development… Only a government with a track record of development and good governance, and not one making false promises, can bring welfare to Haryana," he posted on X.

PM Modi urges for record voting in Haryana

October 5, 2024 8:13 am

Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the voters of Haryana to cast their ballots in record numbers for the polls to the 90-member state Assembly. "I appeal to all voters to be a part of this sacred festival of democracy and create a new voting record," Modi said in a post on X, wishing young voters who are using their franchise for the first time.

आज हरियाणा विधानसभा चुनाव के लिए वोटिंग है। सभी मतदाताओं से मेरी अपील है कि वे लोकतंत्र के इस पावन उत्सव का हिस्सा बनें और मतदान का एक नया रिकॉर्ड कायम करें। इस अवसर पर पहली बार वोट डालने जा रहे राज्य के सभी युवा साथियों को मेरी विशेष शुभकामनाएं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 5, 2024

Both BJP, Congress are contesting on 89 seats

October 5, 2024 8:10 am

Both the BJP and the Congress are contesting on 89 seats, the presence of candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the state's once-prominent Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), contesting in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the INLD's breakaway faction Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which is in the fray with the Azad Samaj Party, besides some BJP rebels who are in the fray as Independents, have made the contest triangular or multi-corned on a few seats.

Most seats are likely to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

October 5, 2024 8:05 am

Prominent among those in the fray are Chief Minister Saini (from Ladwa), Leader of Opposition B S Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Abhay Singh Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantonment), "Captain" Abhimanyu (Narnaund) and O P Dhankar (Badli), AAP's Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress's Phogat, a former wrestler, from Julana. From Tosham, former MP Shruti Choudhry of the BJP and Anirudh Chaudhary, both cousins, are contesting. From Dabwali, Devi Lal's grandson Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate, is taking on the JJP's Digvijay Singh Chautala, the great grandson of the former deputy prime minister. The BJP has fielded former chief minister late Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur in Hisar while its nominee from Ateli in Mahendragarh is Arti Rao, whose father Rao Inderjit Singh is a Union minister. Among the independent candidates are Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantonment). Taking on Dushyant Chautala from Uchana is the Congress's Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh. A few rebels from both the Congress and the BJP are also in the fray.