New Delhi:

With the BJP surging ahead of the Congress in Haryana after trailing in the initial rounds, the mood at the two party offices has dramatically changed in the past one hour. Multiple rounds of counting are still left and the picture can change any moment. Exit polls have predicted a Congress sweep in Haryana. Exit polls, though, have often got it wrong.

At 10.30 am, over two-and-a-half hours after counting began, the BJP is ahead in 47 out of 90 seats in Haryana Assembly. The Congress, which had started its celebrations early, is now leading in 36 seats, nine less than the BJP.

Earlier in the day, the Congress had started bursting crackers and distributing jalebis at their Delhi headquarters. With the tide turning in later rounds, the celebration shifted to the BJP headquarters. Media personnel were offered snacks and laddoos were brought out. In the Congress office, the mood has dampened, though party supporters stress they hope for a win.

Congress leaders, however, are still putting up a brave face. Party veteran Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed confidence that the Congress is winning in Haryana. So did senior party leader Kumari Shelja.

If these numbers hold, it will be a hat-trick for the BJP in Haryana and its best-ever show in the politically-significant state.

In the last Assembly election in Haryana in 2019, the BJP won 40 seats, the Congress 31 and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) 10. The BJP formed the government with the support of the JJP. This time, the JJP, no longer BJP’s ally, has suffered a setback.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Kumari Selja told NDTV today she is confident her party will cross 60 seats in Haryana. An aggregate of seven exit polls have indicated the Congress will win 55 of Haryana’s 90 seats – comfortably ahead of the halfway mark of 46.

Health warning: exit polls often get it wrong.

With the forecast of a Congress win in Haryana, the focus has moved to who would be the next Chief Minister. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Randeep Surjewala, and Ms Selja herself have made their ambition known to the public, much before the election. This had raised a situation of infighting.

Ms Selja has made it clear she is very much in the race for the top post, but it won’t be through the traditional “staking claim” optics.

“Every state has groups. It is a part of politics. Why point fingers at Haryana or my party? This has been there, not just during elections. On the ground all of us have worked hard together,” Ms Selja told NDTV.

She denied she would push her way through to stake claim for the top post. “Why should I stake claim? Stay away from this mindset, that people stake claim. We have a level of seniority, who work hard on the ground, and are committed to the party. Such people should be considered. Why should it be about staking claim…” the Congress MP said.

Ms Selja is not amenable to the idea of making MLAs select the Chief Minister, as according to her this could lead to more factionalism. Instead, the high command should take the big decision, she said.

“I have always felt in all these years, including during discussions with the high command, that a national party has to take a political view on things. And that is what should be the main consideration in choosing people, anytime, anywhere, any post, as to what we want to do, what we want to show, what we want to present. Apart from that, it is always the high command’s last word which counts,” she said.

“I feel even at that time and this time, counting MLAs etc is not a healthy thing for any party. I think it is the high command which should take a decision. Otherwise people get tied down… that I feel also leads to further factionalism,” Ms Selja added.

She asked people to come out from the mindset that sees voters as compartmentalised entities and not supportive of one another. Ms Selja, who is a Dalit, said people from all sections of society in Haryana support her.

“Haryana can give me space. It is you people who have to come out of the mindset that Haryana is like this, Haryana is like that. I can assure you that I have support from all sections of society. Don’t fall into this trap, propagated by vested interests. Move away and move forward,” she said.

“All sections have supported the party. Dalits have supported. Not just them, others also. We have to move away from dominance of one segment because that’s also not doing any justice to that one segment. You’re isolating them and that doesn’t help,” Ms Selja said.

The aggregate of exit polls shows the BJP could end up with 27 seats each in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.  One exit poll, Jist-TIF Research, gave the BJP an outside margin of 37 seats – the maximum – in Haryana.

Counting is on Tuesday.

New Delhi:

Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which was hoping to find a toehold in Haryana — the next logical choice after ruling Delhi and Punjab — could fail to open its account in the state, exit polls have indicated. Exit polls, though, can often get it wrong. 

AAP had contested on 89 of Haryana’s 90 seats. But its campaigning was hamstrung due to the absence of its key leaders including Arvind Kejriwal for the most part. Mr Kejriwal and his close aide Manish Sisodia, arrested in connection with the Delhi liquor case, got bail just ahead of the election. 

AAP, though, had not been able to open account in Haryana in 2029 as well. But the party was hoping for a better performance after registering its presence in six states and winning the “National Party” tag. 

New Delhi:
The political fortunes of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat of the Congress, besides JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and over 1,000 other candidates will be decided today, as the people of Haryana vote for 90 seats.

1. The ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick while the Congress is hoping to make a comeback in Haryana after a decade. The other key contestants are Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and Azad Samaj Party (ASP).

2. The BJP’s campaign was spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed four rallies, where he attacked the Congress on several issues and said they kept every matter important for the country entangled, including the Ram temple issue.

3. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also addressed many public meetings where he said a “Congress storm” is on its way in Haryana and his party would form the government, which will be one for the poor and farmers, and a “mohabbat ki dukan” will be opened in every corner of the state.

4. The Congress left the Bhiwani assembly seat for its INDIA bloc partner Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), while the BJP is not contesting the Sirsa seat, from where Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda is seeking re-election.

5. Most seats are likely to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress. Prominent among them are Chief Minister Saini (Ladwa), Leader of Opposition Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP’s Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP’s Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund) and OP Dhankar (Badli), AAP’s Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress’s Phogat (Julana).

6. The BJP has fielded former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s grandson Bhavya Bishnoi from Adampur segment 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 include Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).

7. Taking on Dushyant Chautala from Uchana is the Congress’s Brijendra Singh, the son of former Union minister Birender Singh. A few rebels from both Congress and the BJP are also contesting. From Tosham seat, former BJP MP Shruti Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhary, both cousins, are contesting. From Dabwali, Devi Lal’s grandson Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate, is taking on JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala, the great grandson of the former Deputy Prime Minister.

8. In the last assembly election in 2019, the BJP won 40 seats, the Congress 31 and the JJP 10. The BJP then formed the government with the support of the JJP while most independents had also extended support to it then. However, the JJP’s post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended after the BJP replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as Chief Minister in March.

9. Director General of Police Shatrujeet Kapur said the Haryana Police are fully prepared to ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of elections. Over 30,000 police personnel and 225 paramilitary companies have been deployed. Of the total voters, 1.07 crore are men, 95 lakh are women, and 467 are transgenders. Votes will be counted on October 8.

10. There are 8,821 voters aged over 100, including 3,283 men and 5,538 women. The total number of service voters is 1.09 lakh. Notably, the voter turnout recorded in 2019 assembly polls was around 68 per cent.

With inputs from PTI

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New Delhi:

A Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to women in the 18-60 years age group and a statewide caste survey are among promises made by the Congress in its manifesto for the October 5 Haryana election.

The state Congress unit released the manifesto today at a Delhi event attended by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Addressing the media, Mr Kharge said, “We are making seven guarantees and we will fulfill them. We have many more promises. They will be announced in the 53-page manifesto to be released in Chandigarh.”

Among the promises are LPG cylinders at Rs 500, Rs 6,000 pension for the elderly, widows and persons with disabilities and implementation of the Old Pension Scheme for government employees. The Congress has also promised 300 units of free electricity and free medical treatment up to Rs 25 lakh. To the youth, the Opposition party has promised 2 lakh jobs and an addiction-free state.

The Congress has also promised 100-yard plots for free for the poor to build homes. There is also a plan to provide two-room homes at Rs 3.5 lakh.

In promises targeted at farmers, Congress has said it will give a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price for crops and provide immediate compensation for crop damage.

In its promises to ensure social justice, the Congress has said the creamy layer threshold in the OBC category will be raised from Rs 8 lakh a year to Rs 10 lakh a year. The party has also promised a statewide caste survey if it comes to power in Haryana.

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said Haryana was the country’s topper in development during the Congress rule. “The Congress will again make Haryana No 1 in employment, industrialisation, agriculture, sports and law and order,” he said, adding that crime became Haryana’s identity during the BJP rule in the state.

The Congress is gearing up to take on the incumbent BJP in the election to Haryana’s 90-member Assembly. Votes will be counted on October 8.

In the 2019 state election, BJP had emerged as the single-largest party with 40 seats. The Congress had won 31 seats. The Opposition party, upbeat after its good show in the Lok Sabha election, is hoping for a comeback to power in Haryana this time.

Chandigarh:

Law enforcement agencies have seized Rs 26.82 crore worth of drugs, liquor and unaccounted-for cash in Haryana since the Model Code of Conduct for the state assembly elections came into effect on August 16.

To ensure that the October 5 Haryana assembly elections are conducted in a completely fair and transparent manner, all guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India, along with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), are being strictly followed, Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said on Tuesday.

To prevent voters from being influenced by any form of inducement, the Commission is maintaining a rigorous stance and various agencies are closely monitoring the movement of illegal liquor, narcotics and cash in the state, he said.

From August 16 to September 16, a total of Rs 26.82 crore worth of illegal liquor, narcotics and unaccounted-for cash have been seized, he said.

Mr Agarwal said the Haryana Police, along with other agencies, is continuously maintaining strict vigilance.

He said since the MCC came into effect, actions have been taken by various departments including police, Income Tax and Narcotics Control Bureau resulting in seizures.

Among the seizures made include more than 3,26,017 litres of illegal liquor worth over Rs 9.82 crore.

Mr Agarwal further said agencies have seized over 2,339 kg of narcotics worth more than Rs 6.76 crore.

He said the state police and other agencies have seized valuable metals such as gold and silver worth more than Rs 3.10 crore, totalling 48,908 grams.

Apart from this, the state police and other agencies have seized other items worth more than Rs 2.41 crore, he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Haryana minister Anil Vij has thrown his hat into the ring for the top post in the state in case of a BJP victory. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said there is a lot of public pressure on him and he would stake claim for the post on the basis of his seniority within the party.  “Whether they appoint them or not is their prerogative,” he added.

The BJP, though, has already announced that the current Chief Minister, Nayab Singh Saini, will remain its candidate for the job. Mr Vij’s announcement could herald a crisis for the party, which prides itself on its discipline..

Ambala: Former Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij says, “I am a senior MLA from Haryana, contesting my seventh election. I have never asked for anything, but this time there is immense pressure from the public. Therefore, based on my seniority, I will stake a claim for the CM’s… pic.twitter.com/O4qSSWnzUV

— IANS (@ians_india) September 15, 2024

While factionalism is par for the course for even the BJP in several states, such open challenge to the party decision is rare.

In the post, he also said if given a chance, he would “transform Haryana”.

Mr Vij was passed over twice for the post of the Chief Minister – once when Manohar Lal Khattar was chosen and the second time when Nayab Singh Saini replaced him.

In 2014, he was the front-runner for the post, but the Central leadership had chosen Mr Khattar, known to be close to Union home minister and the BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah.

When Mr Khattar was picked for the job, Mr Vij was given the key home ministry and under him, rose to be the most powerful and influential minister in the cabinet.

Mr Vij was hugely upset after Mr Saini was picked to replace Mr Khattar. As the seniormost minister in Mr Khattar’s cabinet, and the seniomost leader of the party in the state, he had thought the job should be his.

This time, the former minister has been fielded from the Ambala Cantonment seat.

Assembly elections will be held in Haryana in a single phase on October 5 and the votes will be counted on October 8.

Hisar, Haryana:

The BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal’s mother Savitri Jindal, who was an aspirant of a poll ticket from the party for the Haryana Assembly elections, filed her nomination from the Hisar seat as an Independent on Thursday.

On the last day of the filing of nominations, 74-year-old Ms Savitri, the wife of noted industrialist late O P Jindal, entered the fray against Haryana Minister and sitting MLA from Hisar Kamal Gupta.

Forbes India has listed her as the richest woman in the country this year having a net worth of USD 29.1 billion.

Polling for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the results will be declared on October 8.

After filing her nomination, she said, “I have pledged to serve Hisar for its development and transformation. The people of Hisar are my family and Om Prakash Jindal had established my relationship with this family.”

“The Jindal family has always served Hisar. I am fully dedicated to living up to the expectations of the people and maintaining their trust,” said Savitri Jindal.

When the BJP fielded Kamal Gupta from the Hisar Assembly segment, Savitri Jindal was asked by reporters if her contesting the seat against the ruling party would not amount to rebellion.

“It won’t be considered so. I had only campaigned for my son (Naveen Jindal in the Lok Sabah polls). I have not taken any membership (of the BJP),” she had said.

Savitri Jindal was elected as an MLA from the Hisar seat twice. She became represented Hisar in the Haryana Assembly for the first time in 2005 as a Congress MLA. She was reelected from the seat in 2009 and was made a minister in the Singh Hooda government in 2013. She quit the Congress in March this year when her son Naveen Jindal also left the party and later joined the BJP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Congress late Wednesday night released a list of five candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections. Earlier in the day, the party announced its candidates for 40 seats.

The party has named former Haryana Youth Congress chief Sachin Kundu as its candidate for the Panipat Rural seat, and state youth wing’s spokesperson Rohit Nagar as its candidate for Tigaon.

Besides them, the Congress named Parimal Pari for the Ambala Cantt seat, Satbir Dublain for the Narwana-SC reserved seat, and Sarva Mitra Kamboj for Rania.

This was Congress’ fourth list for Haryana and so far, it has declared the names of 85 candidates for elections to the 90-member Assembly.

In the third list released earlier in the day, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala’s son Aditya was named as the party candidate for the Kaithal seat.

Other candidates named in the third list include Chander Mohan for Panchkula, Ch. Nirmal Singh (Ambala City), Akram Khan (Jagadhri), Raman Tyagi (Yamunanagar), Mandeep Singh Chatha (Pehowa), Vikas Saharan (Kalayat), Sultan Singh Jadola (Pundri), Rakesh Kumar Kamboj (Indri), Sumita Virk (Karnal), Virender Singh Rathore (Gharaunda), Varinder Kumar Shah (Panipat City), Jai Bhagwan Antil (Rai), Mahabir Gupta (Jind), Balwan Singh Daulatpuria (Fatehabad), Jarnail Singh (Ratia), Gokul Setia (Sirsa), Bharat Singh Beniwal (Ellenabad), Chander Parkash (Adampur), Rahul Makkar (Hansi), Ram Niwas Ghorela (Barwala), and Ram Niwas Rara (Hisar).

The party has named Anil Mann for Nalwa seat, Rajbir Singh Fartiya for Loharu, Sombir Singh (Badhra), Manisha Sangwan (Dadri), Anita Yadav (Ateli), Rao Narinder Singh (Narnaul), Jagdish Yadav (Kosli), Mohd Israil (Hathin), Karan Dalal (Palwal), Raghubir Tewatia (Prithla), Vijay Pratap (Badhkal), Parag Sharma (Ballabgarh), and Lakhan Kumar Singla (Faridabad).

Congress candidates named in the third list, who are contesting elections from seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, are Pradeep Narwal from Bawani Khera, M.L. Ranga (Bawal-SC), Pearl Chaudhary (Pataudi-SC), Pooja Chaudhary (Mulana-SC), and Devinder Hans (Guhla-SC).

The last date for filing nomination papers is September 12. Voting for single-phase Assembly elections will be held on October 5 while the counting will be taken up on October 8.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Congress-Aam Aadmi Party alliance in Haryana has also gone south, the way it did in Punjab. On Monday, Aam Aadmi Party released its first list of 20 candidates, putting a firm stop to any possibility of a rethink. Since then, the party has so far released 4 more lists of candidates — declaring a total of 70 candidates so far. But what made the prospective tie-up — in which the Central leaders of both parties were interested — collapse? More importantly, will it lead to an early Christmas for the BJP in the coming assembly election?

The Congress has been tight-lipped about this alliance and its collapse because the initiative came from Mr Gandhi. AAP also has been choosing its words carefully.

Sources said like Punjab, it was the local leaders of the Congress who were skeptical about the alliance with the AAP. Arvind Kejriwal’s party traces its inception to enmity with the Congress during Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

Over the years, it has been growing at the cost of the Congress, slowly encroaching upon the political space of the Grand Old Party – reason why no state unit of the Congress, be it Delhi, Punjab or Haryana, is bitter about AAP.

This is also why the Congress state unit was stalling, with a one-step-forward- two-steps-back strategy.

The state Congress leaders were sanguine that the party would not have received any special benefit from an alliance with AAP. On the contrary, there were concerns that a tie-up would alienate Congress’s leaders in preferred seats that would have gone to AAP under a seat sharing deal.

Sources said though Rahul Gandhi spoke of showing a big heart, it became difficult to implement it given the ground realities.

AAP’s performance in Haryana in 2019 has been lacklustre. The party had fielded candidates on 46 seats, but got less than one per cent of the votes. The recent Lok Sabha election was no different. Under the alliance with the Congress, AAP had got the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat, but lost the contest by around 30,000 votes.

In the current scenario – where the Congress is the main Opposition in the state and hopes to make inroads after three consecutive terms of BJP rule – AAP, however, can still play spoiler for the Congress in at least seven seats.

These include assembly seats like Kalayat, Rania, Pehwa, Barwala, Jind, Bhiwani and Gurugram. Of these, Congress could not win even a single one last time but hopes to do better this year.