Over 60% voter turnout in Haryana assembly polls

Chandigarh: Over 60 percent voter turnout was recorded in the Haryana assembly elections on Saturday, where the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term, while the Congress is vying for a comeback after ten years. According to officials, polling, which ended at 6 pm, was largely peaceful except for a clash in Nuh between supporters of two candidates, resulting in three people being injured, reported PTI.

As of 5 pm, 61 per cent of voters had cast their ballots, with the final numbers expected to rise once all data is compiled. The key parties in the fray include the BJP, Congress, INLD-BSP, JJP-Azad Samaj Party alliances, and the Aam Aadmi Party.

A total of 1,031 candidates are in the fray, including 101 women and 464 Independent nominees. Counting will be taken up on October 8. Among the top names in the fray are Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, BJP's Anil Vij and O P Dhankar, Congress's Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat, INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP's Dushyant Chautala.

Among the districts, according to the Election Commission data available at 5 pm, Yamunanagar had recorded a poll percentage of 67.93, Sirsa 65.37, Rohtak 60.56, Nuh 68.28, Palwal 67.69, Mahendragarh 65.76, Kurukshetra 65.55 and Jind 66.02.

However, by 5 pm, districts like Gurgaon recorded 49.92 poll percentage, Faridabad recorded 51.28 while Panchkula registered 54.71 percent. Haryana Jan Sevak Party nominee from Meham constituency Balraj Kundu accused former MLA Anand Singh Dangi of assaulting him and his assistant at a polling booth.

In Nuh district, there was a clash among supporters of the Congress' sitting MLA from Punhana and Independent candidate Rahish Khan in a village in the constituency which left three injured. On Panipat's Nohra village, police said they had received information of a fight at polling booth resulting in serious injury to one person, who had to be hospitalised.

There were reports of a minor scuffle between supporters of rival candidates in Hisar district's Narnaund. Saini, who is contesting from Ladwa in Kurukshetra, cast his vote in his native village Mirza in Ambala district's Naraingarh.

He attacked the Congress, saying it has been regularly insulting the Dalit community and has never brought any scheme for its upliftment. "The Congress has a dual face, they talk of honesty but they indulge in loot," he alleged. "The mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form the government for the third time with a big mandate," Saini said.

Among the first voters to cast vote was Union Minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who his vote in Karnal. Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker (22) exercised her franchise for the first time. She was accompanied by her parents when they went to cast their votes in Jhajjar district's Goria village. Bhaker also appealed to the people, especially the younger ones, to come out and cast their votes.

Congress stalwarts Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala, who also exercised their right to vote, said their party would form the next government. The Congress high command will take the call on the next chief minister after the party wins the polls, they added.

Hooda, who is seeking re-election from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi in Rohtak district, said, "BJP ja rahi hai, Congress aa rahi hai (BJP is on its way out, the Congress is coming back to power)." BJP Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal went to cast his vote on horseback.

"Riding a horse is considered auspicious and people ride horses while going to attend weddings. That is why I came on a horse for this auspicious work," he said. A software engineer based in the US, Rashika Gupta said she has returned home to exercise her franchise. "I came here to vote for the development of Kaithal," she told PTI.

Sunil Kumar, a groom from Kurukshetra district, went to cast his vote before tying the knot. "I want to give the message to all that voting is very important. Nobody should waste their vote," he said. Congress candidate and Olympic wrestler Phogat urged people to recognise their power and exercise their franchise as "today is the day of change". She is contesting from the Julana assembly constituency in Jind district.

Wrestler and Congress leader Bajrang Punia said there is a Congress wave in Haryana and claimed the party would win between 60 and 70 seats. Among other early voters were Saini, Khattar, BJP's Kuldeep Bishnoi and his family and JJP's Dushyant Chautala and his family.

AAP Haryana unit senior vice-president Anurag Dhanda cast his vote in Kalayat, the constituency he is contesting from. In Hisar, senior Congress leader Selja said people of Haryana have been waiting for the assembly election to change the current dispensation in the state and bring her party to power.

Abhay Chautala, who cast his vote in Sirsa district, said his party's alliance will form the government. "Neither the Congress nor the BJP will win a majority. INLD-BSP will come to power," he claimed. Dushyant Chautala, whose party is contesting the polls in alliance with the Azad Samaj Party, said he wanted to appeal to the people of Haryana to ensure that their votes decide the future of the state.

There are more than 2.03 crore eligible voters in the state and 20,632 polling booths have been set up. A total of 144 polling stations have been designated as model ones. Besides, 115 polling stations will be entirely managed by women staff, 114 by young government employees and 87 by differently-abled employees. The voter turnout recorded in the 2019 Assembly polls was around 68 per cent.