Polling Underway in Haryana Assembly Polls, 9.53% Early Voter Turnout

GG News Bureau
Chandigarh. 5th Oct. Polling for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana commenced on Saturday morning under tight security, recording a 9.53% voter turnout within the first two hours.

Key early voters included Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker. Saini, contesting from Ladwa, cast his vote in his native village, Mirza, after offering prayers at local temples. He expressed confidence in the BJP’s victory, stating, “The mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form government for the third time with a big mandate.”

The Election Commission reported varying turnout rates across districts, with Jind at 12.71%, Karnal at 11.10%, and Gurgaon at just 6.10%. A total of 1,027 candidates, including prominent leaders like Bhupinder Singh Hooda of Congress and Dushyant Chautala of the JJP, are vying for seats.

Amid the polling, allegations of misconduct surfaced, with Haryana Jan Sevak party nominee Balraj Kundu accusing former MLA Anand Singh Dangi of physical altercations at a polling booth.

With over 20,000 polling booths established across the state, 2,03,54,350 voters are eligible to cast their votes. The police deployed 225 companies of Central Armed Police Forces to ensure a peaceful voting process. The last Assembly elections in 2019 saw the BJP winning 40 seats, and the Congress securing 31.

Counting of votes will occur on October 8, as the Congress aims to return to power after a decade, hoping to unseat the BJP.