Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: The results of the Haryana Assembly elections will be declared on Tuesday (October 8). The countdown has now begun for the counting of votes. This election holds great importance, coming just after the recent Lok Sabha elections. These elections saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress emerge as the major forces in shaping the political story of the state.

The counting process will begin at 8 am, with election officials and party representatives expected to reach the counting centers by 5 am. To ensure a smooth and transparent process, polling officials will undergo briefings and take their designated places at the counting tables by 6 am.

The counting process will begin with postal ballots, which will be distributed to specified groups such as persons with disabilities, security forces, and key government employees. Once the postal votes are tallied, the focus will shift to the electronic voting machines (EVMs), which will give a complete picture of voters' choices.

Competition between BJP and Congress

The contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress has intensified in these crucial elections. The BJP, which has been in power for the last two terms, is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave due to voters' discontent over unresolved socio-economic issues. The Congress is trying to make a comeback by using the public's discontent against the current government to its advantage. With the results on Tuesday, both parties are in a tough fight for the mandate to shape the future of Haryana.

What does the exit poll say?

Exit polls have predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana, with some surveys predicting more than 50 seats. Both major parties, the ruling BJP and the Congress, have expressed confidence in a landslide victory. The majority figure to form a government in Haryana is 46.

A likely win for the Congress in Haryana will see the grand old party continue its resurgence that began with the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year. The Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit won 99 seats, almost double the 52 it won in the 2019 general elections. In 2019, it had won 44 seats. Moreover, of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana, the BJP and the Congress won five each, reducing the BJP's tally by five and the Congress' tally increasing by the same amount.

Who are the main candidates?

• Among the prominent candidates is BJP leader and outgoing chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is contesting from the Ladwa assembly seat in Kurukshetra district. In 2014, Saini had won from the Naraingarh assembly constituency. However, in 2019, he won from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat.
• At the same time, veteran Congress leader and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is contesting from his traditional stronghold Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district. The two-time Chief Minister and four-time MP is seen as a potential Chief Ministerial candidate of the Congress, although no official announcement has been made yet.
• Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat is contesting from the Julana seat in the Jind district as a Congress candidate. Phogat hails from Charkhi Dadri district, but her in-laws are in Julana. The Olympian was among the wrestlers at the forefront of protests against then Wrestling Federation of India chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023.
• Former BJP leader Savitri Jindal is contesting as an independent candidate from the Hisar seat. Savitri, the chairperson of the OP Jindal Group, is India's richest woman and mother of BJP MP Naveen Jindal. Her total wealth is Rs 270 crore, making her the second-richest candidate in the race.
• Dushyant Chautala is a fourth-generation politician from the family of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal, who also served as Chief Minister of Haryana twice and founded the INLD.