Lucknow:

BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday blamed the “casteist” mindset of the Jat community of the state for the adverse Haryana assembly election results and advising them to change their mentality.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had fought the Haryana polls in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), the regional party.

The BJP stunned its rivals with its performance, winning the state polls for a third time in a row by bagging 48 seats, while the Congress managed 37 and the INLD scored victory on just two as three went to Independent candidates, according to the Election Commission.

The BSP pocketed 1.82 per cent vote share while its ally INLD got 4.14 per cent, the data analysis on the EC website showed.

Mayawati, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, on Tuesday night took to social media platform X and said, “The BSP and the INLD fought the Haryana assembly general election in alliance. But today’s result shows that the casteist people of the Jat community did not vote for the BSP due to which the party candidates lost on some seats by a small margin of votes, although the BSP’s entire vote was transferred.” “The people of the Jat community of UP have changed their casteist mentality to a great extent and they have become MLAs from the BSP and ministers in the government. The people of the Jat community of Haryana should also follow their footsteps and change their casteist mentality. This is a special advice,” Mayawati posted in Hindi.

She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to all the BSP members for fighting this election with “full strength” and assured them that their hard work will not go in vain.

“People should not be disappointed nor lose hope. But they should be ready to make their own path. A new path will emerge,” she added in the three-part post.

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

Chandigarh:

Haryana Jan Sevak Party nominee from the Meham assembly constituency Balraj Kundu on Saturday alleged that former Congress MLA Anand Singh Dangi assaulted him and his personal assistant at a polling booth in Rohtak district.

In a video message, Mr Kundu said he was visiting polling booth number 134 in the constituency when it happened.

He alleged that Mr Dangi ripped his clothes and also had him “manhandled”. “My PA was beaten up,” Mr Kundu said.

The outgoing MLA from the Meham assembly seat also claimed that Anand Singh Dangi sensed the impending defeat of his son and Congress candidate Balram Dangi and this has left him “rattled”.

Mr Kundu also urged voters to stay calm and maintain peace.

The Jan Sevak Party candidate is pitted against Balram Dangi and the BJP’s Deepak Hooda from the Meham constituency.

Polling began Saturday morning for all the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, amid tight security arrangements.

The fate of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the Congress’ Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and Vinesh Phogat, besides the JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and 1,027 other candidates will be decided in the polls in which over 2 crore people are eligible to vote.

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

Hisar (Haryana):

As the polling for 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana began today, Congress MP Kumari Selja said that the BJP is ready to welcome her because they are already “very weak”.

Speaking to media persons after casting her vote at a polling booth in Hisar, Ms Selja said, “Today’s fight will change the fate of Haryana. Although this is 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.”

When asked about the speculations of a rift within Congress in the state, she said, “At the end of the day, our party high command makes decisions.”

Earlier on Friday, in an interview with ANI, she said she was a senior leader with enough weight to be considered a front-runner for the top post.

“See, that only high command will have to answer, they will only decide. There are a few people who would be in the consideration zone, and I think Selja would be there. Seniority mein, kaam mein, in sab cheezon mein nam aur politics aur ye political decisions ye toh high command dekhega (the high command would look at the seniority, work done, and everything else. These political decisions would be taken by high command,” Ms Selja told ANI.

“Toh aise mein Selja ko high command nazar andaz toh nahi karega (So the Party high command can’t ignore Selja),” she added

Over two crore people are eligible to vote in the Haryana Assembly elections today, which will decide whether the BJP will hold on to power for the third time or the Congress will return to power after a ten-year gap.

The Haryana assembly election is a high-stakes battle as the BJP is eyeing a third straight term to power in the state, the Congress party is aiming to wrest back power riding on anti-incumbency, and issues of farmer protests and wrestler protests.

The key contesting parties in Haryana include the BJP, Congress, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as well as the pre-poll alliance between the Indian National Lok Dal-Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (ASP). Voting in Haryana started at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting in all 90 assembly constituencies, and 20,632 polling booths have been set up for voting. The results for the Haryana Assembly elections will be declared along with those of Jammu and Kashmir on October 8.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 40 of the 90 seats, forming a coalition government with the JJP, which won 10 seats. The Congress secured 31 seats. However, JJP later broke out of the coalition.

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

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. File

Dera Sacha Sauda chief and rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Wednesday walked out of the Sunaria jail in Haryana’s Rohtak after he was granted a 20-day parole.

During his temporary release period, Singh will stay at the Dera ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat.

He came out of jail under tight security this morning after his release on parole, an official said.

The Haryana government has granted a 20-day parole to Singh while barring him from taking part in election-related activities, making speeches and staying in the state during the period.

Singh is serving a 20-year sentence given in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. The Dera chief and three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago.

Also Read: Ram Rahim Singh: A farm to prison story of the ‘Baba of bling’

He had sought a 20-day parole ahead of the October 5 Haryana Assembly polls.

According to the parole conditions, the sect chief will not take part in any election-related activity or deliver public speeches and will stay out of Haryana during the period.

He will stay at Dera ashram in Uttar Pradesh’s Barnawa (Baghpat) during the period.

The Dera chief had said that he wanted to stay in Baghpat during the parole if granted.

The jail department had recently forwarded the Dera chief’s parole plea to the office of the Haryana Chief Electoral Officer in view of the Model Code being in place for the assembly polls.

Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal had said on Monday (September 30) that the Haryana government may consider Singh’s parole subject to the correctness of facts mentioned in his parole plea and satisfying other conditions with respect to the Model Code of Conduct for the elections.

Haryana goes to polls on October 5 and the results will be declared on October 8.

In the past, some of Singh’s paroles and furloughs have coincided with the polls in Punjab, Haryana and neighbouring States.

The Opposition parties had criticised the grant of relief to Singh.

Earlier in August this year, Singh was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted three weeks’ furlough from February 7, 2022 barely two weeks before the Punjab Assembly polls.

In May, the high court acquitted Singh and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect’s former manager Ranjit Singh, citing “tainted and sketchy” investigations in the matter.

A special CBI court had sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. Singh had been held guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused.

Chandigarh:

Having been granted bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, Delhi Chief Minister and Arvind Kejriwal will be released from jail again just ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana, which is being seen as a big boost for the AAP in a state where it is hoping to do well. 

The party erupted in joy after a Supreme Court granted him bail in the Delhi excise policy case on Friday, noting that his “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”, and the AAP Haryana handle posted a video of Mr Kejriwal with a fire emoji, writing: “He is back”. 

AAP’s Haryana unit chief Sushil Gupta said Mr Kejriwal would campaign in the state, adding that the people are looking for a change. “We will now fight the polls with double energy. Kejriwal ji will soon start his campaign in Haryana,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

“People are looking for a ‘badlav’ (change), they want to elect an honest government, which can ensure good education and health facilities, round-the-clock power supply and overall development… People want to bring the AAP to power and we will win the polls,” Mr Gupta added.

Voting will be held in all of Haryana’s 90 Assembly constituencies on October 5 and the AAP released its sixth list of 19 candidates on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations. The party is contesting 89 seats after its talks of an alliance with INDIA partner Congress fell through. The AAP had sought to contest at least 10 seats as part of the alliance but the Congress was willing to give up only five to seven.

The state unit of the Congress had, in fact, reportedly been against a tie-up with the AAP but talks had been held at the insistence of senior leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who had said that it would prevent a division of votes and give the opposition its best chance of defeating the BJP.

The BJP has ruled in Haryana since 2014 but the opposition has been buoyed by its performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls, where the state’s 10 seats were split evenly between the BJP and the Congress after a clean sweep by the BJP in 2019. Opposition parties are also hoping that they can capitalise on the discontent among farmers, who have been protesting seeking a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP), anger over the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces and the anger among athletes following the protest against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by wrestlers last year. 

While the AAP had lost the lone Lok Sabha seat – Kurukshetra – it had contested by a margin of 29,000 votes, the party believes it can do well because it is in power in Delhi and Punjab, two states that border Haryana, where, its leaders claim, people are happy with its policies. 

Along these lines, campaigning in the Asandh Assembly constituency on Thursday, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha had made a “triple-engine” pitch for development.

“On one side of Haryana there’s Punjab which has an AAP government and on the other side there’s Delhi with an AAP government too. If the AAP government is formed in Haryana then a triple engine of development will run in the state,” he had said. 

“We listen on the radio, Mirchi sunne waale always khush (Those who listen to Mirchi are always happy). Similarly, Kejriwal ko chunne wala always khush (Those who choose Kejriwal are always happy),” the MP had added. 
 

Chandigarh:

Amid deepening schisms within the ruling BJP in Haryana over poll ticket distribution, party leader Karan Dev Kamboj on Wednesday indicated that the rebellion could have been prevented had Chief Minister Nayab Saini given a “say” on the allocation process.

Meanwhile, senior party leader from south Haryana, Ram Bilas Sharma filed his nomination papers from Mahendragarh. In what appears that he feared the BJP may not field him, Ram Bilas Sharma, a former minister, filed his papers even as the party has not yet declared the name of its candidate for the seat.

Party leader and former MLA from Hathin segment Kehar Singh Rawat quit the BJP after he was not given a ticket.

Another party leader Zile Ram Sharma, upset over not getting ticket from Assandh, was also sulking.

This comes two days after Union minister and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh asserted that people want him to become the chief minister.

Union minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had sought to downplay Rao Inderjit Singh’s remark saying anybody can claim if they want, adding Union Home Minister Amit Shah had already announced that the elections will be fought under the leadership of Mr Saini.

Former minister Mr Kamboj, who last week stepped down as the state unit’s OBC Morcha chief after being denied ticket to contest the October 5 assembly polls, claimed many party leaders who deserved to be given tickets have been ignored.

“When the BJP made Nayab Saini the chief minister, the party’s graph went up. But while picking up candidates, the CM has not been given much say in ticket allocation…The rebellion, which we are seeing on many seats, could have been prevented,” he claimed.

Mr Kamboj, who like Mr Saini hails from the OBC community, said he has not yet resigned from the BJP’s primary membership and that his supporters will take a call on his next move. He was eyeing a ticket from Indri and Radaur segments.

The BJP leader claimed the party rewarded many new entrants and turncoats with tickets while ignoring those who have been working for years.

On Tuesday, BJP’s state unit vice president Santosh Yadav quit the party, saying grassroots leaders who have been loyal to the party are being neglected.

Santosh Yadav, a former deputy speaker of state assembly, was said to be eyeing a ticket from Ateli constituency, where the BJP has picked Aarti Singh Rao, the daughter of Inderjit Singh, as its candidate.

Shortly after the BJP had come out with its first list of 67 candidates last week, the party faced rebellion with minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and MLA Lakshman Dass Napa who were denied ticket quitting the party.

There were few other less prominent party leaders who followed in their footsteps, while some known faces of the party openly expressed their disappointment after being denied ticket.

Amid the voices of dissent, Rao Inderjit Singh on Monday said it was not his wish, but that of the public that he becomes the chief minister.

“Even today, people wish that I (Rao) should become CM,” he had said.

Rao Inderjit Singh, who was addressing a gathering in support of BJP’s Gurugram candidate Mukesh Sharma, also blamed the state machinery for letting garbage pile up on roads and not cleaning sewers.

“You will be told I was not able to get Gurgaon cleaned, its sewers cleaned,” Singh, who is a senior leader of the BJP, with south Haryana being his stronghold, said.

The BJP on Tuesday released a second list of 21 candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, denying tickets to two ministers and replacing its nominee for the Pehowa seat.

The ruling party also denied tickets to the sitting MLAs from Ganaur, Pataudi, Hathin and Hodal seats.

The trouble for the BJP started shortly after it came out with the first list of candidates as it left many sulking.

Minister of State for Social Justice, Empowerment, SCs and BCs Bishamber Singh, the MLA from Bawani Khera reserve seat, was in tears after the party gave ticket to Kapur Valmiki from the seat while former Minister Kavita Jain also broke down after not getting a ticket from Sonipat.

On the BJP facing rebellion on a few seats after the party had announced its first list of candidates on September 4, Khattar had on Monday said there may be more than one claimant for a ticket from a seat.

There can be some resentment if an aspirant does not get a party ticket and it happens in every election, he added.

“We have pacified many people and will speak to the remaining in a day or two,” Khattar had said.

The BJP is aiming for a hat-trick in the assembly polls but faces a tough challenge from a resurgent Congress which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor. Mr Saini is the BJP’s chief ministerial face for the assembly polls.

The counting of votes will take place on October 8. 

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

Chandigarh:

Wrestler-turned-politician and Congress candidate for Haryana Assembly polls Vinesh Phogat filed her nomination from the Julana seat on Wednesday and appealed to people for their support so that her party could form a government under Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s leadership.

The Congress has not declared its chief ministerial candidate for Haryana and has maintained that if it comes to power, the party’s legislators and the high command will take a call on the matter.

Addressing a gathering in Julana after filing her nomination, Vinesh Phogat said, “Give your love and blessings to Congress so that it forms government under Bhupinder Hooda ji’s leadership and the development works that were stalled for the 10 years resumes.” 

The Congress’ Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda and Sonipat MP Satpal Brahmachari accompanied the Olympic wrestler when she filed her nomination.

During her address, Vinesh Phogat also said, “Satpal Brahmachari sir has said Bhupinder Singh Hooda has to be made chief minister. You will have to work hard for that.” 

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest last year against then Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, recently joined the Congress.

Speaking to reporters, Deepender Hooda said Poghat will secure a “big win”. Not just the Julana seat, the Congress is going to secure an absolute majority and form government in Haryana under the leadership of Bhupinder Singh Hooda, he said.

“People have made up their mind that under Hooda Sahab’s leadership, the Congress has to be brought to power and BJP has to be ousted,” he said.

After filing her nomination, Vinesh Phogat said, “It is a matter of great happiness for me… In wrestling, we have learnt that never take your opponent lightly.” The wrestler-turned-politician, whose in-laws belong to Julana, said people of the assembly segment have reposed their faith in her and she will try to live up to their expectations. “They treated me more as a daughter than a daughter-in-law,” she said.

Referring to the wrestlers’ protest, she said they had to struggle on roads and face lathis. Vinesh Phogat thanked Deepender Hooda for extending support to them during that period.

Deepender Hooda said, “Phogat took on the system and the government for our daughters’ respect. It was not an ordinary struggle… that struggle will not just act as an inspiration for players only, but to the entire country.” 

The BJP has fielded Yogesh Bairagi, a former commercial pilot, against Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the Jat-dominated Julana Assembly segment. Before foraying into politics, Vinesh Phogat (30) retired from wrestling following the shock end to her Paris Olympic campaign. She was the first Indian woman grappler to reach the Olympics final but was disqualified after being found overweight by about 100 grams in her 50-kilogramme category weigh-in.

Voting for the 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and votes will be counted on October 8.

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

Chandigarh:

Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia, who joined the Congress, has received a threat message over WhatsApp warning him with dire consequences, police said on Sunday.

Bajrang Punia has filed a complaint at Bahalgarh police station in Sonipat.

A police official said they received a complaint from Bajrang Punia after which they launched an investigation.

When asked that some reports say that in the threat message Bajrang Punia was asked to quit Congress or be prepared to face dire consequences, Bahalgarh police station SHO Madan Singh said, “The matter is under investigation.”.

Olympians Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress.

The party later fielded Phogat from Julana seat for the Haryana Assembly polls while Bajrang Punia was appointed as working chairman of All India Kisan Congress.

Bajrang Punia won bronze in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Polling for 90 seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the votes counted on October 8.

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

Asserting that Jannayak Janta Party will not ally with the BJP for the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls, JJP Chief and former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Sunday claimed that the party will be “most important” party in “coming days.”

In an exclusive interview with the ANI on Sunday, Dushyant Chautala said, “I can on record assure you that I won’t go to the BJP.”

When asked about their rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Dushyant Chautala said, “I don’t take it as a crisis now. What had happened, happened. I see that as an opportunity now…last time also, our party was a kingmaker…you can see the coming days as well; JJP will be the most important political party of the state (Haryana).”

After the last assembly polls in Haryana, the BJP formed the government with the support of the 10 JJP MLAS.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, JJP got only 0.87 per cent of the vote share, with none of its candidates winning any seat in the state.

When asked if he would ally with the INDIA alliance, he said, “Let’s see if we have the numbers and yes, if our party is taken as a priority, then why not?

Sharing his experience on when JJP was a part of the NDA alliance, Dushyant Chautala said, “I have stayed with the NDA alliance… I have never changed my stance on them despite the wrestlers’ issue and the farmers’ issue. But if they don’t give respect, then in the coming days who will give assurance?”

Dushyant Chautala also spoke about the reasons for the party’s setback during the Lok Sabha elections and said that maybe the JJP “couldn’t understand the sentiments” of the farmers and therefore “paid the price during Lok Sabha elections.”

“There was anger due to farmers’ agitation. Our major vote share was of farmers and that major vote share wanted me to step down during the agitation. My party and I thought we should stand with the government and make amendments as the bills were under the central government…Maybe we couldn’t understand the sentiments and that’s why we paid the price during Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

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

Panchkula, Haryana:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, on Saturday, started campaigning in Haryana by launching “Kejriwal’s guarantees” for the state under the helm of BJP for two consecutive terms.

Accompanied by party MPs Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak, and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Sunita Kejriwal launched guarantees of giving free electricity round the clock like Punjab and Delhi, employment to every youth, education to every child, free medical treatment, and Rs 1,000 per month to every woman above 18 years of age.

The upcoming Assembly polls in Haryana will likely be in October.

AAP’s state unit chief Sushil Gupta said that the party is geared up to contest all 90 Assembly seats, fight the elections strongly and form a government.

On Thursday, the AAP had announced that it will contest all the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana, where people want “badlav” (change).

“Aam Aadmi Party has decided to contest the elections in Haryana with full strength,” AAP leader and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told the media in Chandigarh on Thursday.

AAP National Secretary Sandeep Pathak said that public dialogue for change was conducted by visiting about 6,500 villages and the voice of change “is coming from everywhere.”

“Just like we fought the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha elections with full force, we will fight the Haryana Assembly polls with full force as well,” added Pathak, who had kicked off the party’s campaign for the elections from Karnal on June 25.

The Punjab Chief Minister said that during the AAP leaders’ visits to parts of Rohtak, Sonipat, and Jind in Haryana, people said that they wanted a change in the government.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, AAP contested one seat in Haryana in alliance with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc.

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