Today marks the beginning of crucial elections for the 90-member assembly in Haryana, where the fate of 1031 candidates including Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat will be decided by the voters.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking a third consecutive victory while the Congress party is aiming to make a comeback after being in opposition for a decade. Apart from these two parties, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are also vying for a win in today’s election.
In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 40 seats, just six short of a majority. After forming a post-poll alliance with the JJP and seven Independent MLAs, BJP’s Manohar Lal Khattar became the chief minister while JJP’s Dushyant Chautala was sworn in as the deputy chief minister. However, since then JJP has pulled out of the alliance and Khattar has become a Union Minister.
Some notable candidates whose fate will be decided today include BJP leader and incumbent CM Nayab Singh Saini from Ladwa, veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, and wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Julana. Hooda, a two-time CM and four-time MP, is seen as a potential CM candidate for Congress. Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat’s entry into politics has generated a lot of interest among voters in the state. With about 40 seats being heavily influenced by the Jat community, Hooda and Phogat’s performances will be closely watched. The results of today’s election will be announced on October 8.