Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India] October 5 : As the polling began in Haryana, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday appealed to voters of the state to choose a capable and development-oriented government.
In a post on X, Chief Minister Dhami said, "First vote, then refreshment! An appeal to all the respected voters of Haryana is to use their democratic right in the assembly elections. This is your opportunity to once again choose a capable and development-oriented government with your vote. Your one vote lays the foundation for Haryana's bright future. Vote for the creation of a prosperous and strong Haryana...make sure to use your right wisely."
https://x.com/pushkardhami/status/1842367953121038572
Voting began for 90 assembly seats in Haryana on Saturday after days of hectic campaigning by major political parties, including the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This 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 will be held from 7 am to 6 pm. 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.
One of the prominent faces in the elections is wrestler Vinesh Phogat. She joined the Congress party on September 6, along with Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, following her disqualification from the women's 50 kg final at the Paris Olympics.
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.