Haryana votes to be counted tomorrow, Congress, BJP face-off

Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath for the Haryana Assembly poll results on Tuesday, with the ruling BJP confident of retaining power for a third term, and the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, more than hopeful of making a comeback.

Officials said all preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process which begins at 8.00 am on 8 October. "A three-tier security arrangement has been made at counting venues," Haryana's chief electoral officer (CEO) Pankaj Agarwal told PTI on Monday.

The elections in Haryana are the first major direct contest between the BJP and the Congress following the Lok Sabha polls, and the result here could be used by the winners to build a narrative in their favour in other states where polls due over the next few months.

The key parties in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats are likely to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

In an official statement later, CEO Agarwal said 93 counting centres have been set up across 90 assembly constituencies in 22 districts of the state. Two counting centres each have been set up for the Badshahpur, Gurugram, and Pataudi assembly seats, while one counting centre each has been established for the remaining 87 segments. To monitor the counting process, 90 counting observers also have been appointed by Election Commission of India, the release said.

Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of electronic voting machines (EVMs) after 30 minutes. Accurate information on each round of counting will be uploaded in a timely manner, the CEO said.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 Assembly segments, which voted in a single phase on 5 October.

Agarwal said on counting day, the strongrooms will be opened in the presence of candidates, their authorised representatives, Returning officers (ROs)/assistant returning officers (AROs), and ECI observers, with recording of videos. Mobile phones will not be allowed inside the counting centres, he said.

Shatrujeet Kapur, director-general of Haryana Police, said comprehensive security arrangements have been made for the counting with adequate police personnel deployed at every centre. A traffic diversion plan has been prepared to manage traffic flow around these centres, Kapur said.

Male and female police officers have been deployed for frisking individuals entering the premises. Quick response teams (QRTs) are also on standby to maintain law and order, DGP Kapur said.

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana, which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. Rejecting the exit poll results, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has claimed his party BJP will form the government for a third time with full majority on 8 October. He also said once results are announced, "the Congress will blame EVMs".

On the other hand, Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a frontrunner for the chief minister's post if his party wins, exuded confidence about a comfortable majority. On BJP leaders claiming that their party will return to power, Hooda had earlier stated, "What else will BJP say? They will come to know once results are out."

The INLD-BSP alliance has also claimed that it will form the next government once results are declared, while JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said he his hopeful that his alliance will get good numbers.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whose party contested the Haryana polls on its own, has been claiming that no government in Haryana can be formed without his party's support.

Jammu and Kashmir also voted alongside Haryana, but most seats there have witnessed multi-corner contests rather than a direct Congress-BJP fight. Elections are due in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi in a few months.

Meanwhile, CEO Agarwal said a total of 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed at 93 counting centres. Around 12,000 police personnel are on duty at the counting centres across the state, he said.

Agarwal stated that adequate checkpoints have been set up within a 100-metre perimeter of each counting centre. CCTV cameras have been installed in all 90 strongrooms where the EVMs are stored to closely monitor all activities.

A meeting was held on Monday to review the counting preparedness with deputy commissioners and district election officers. Agarwal said officials have been asked to closely monitor social media to prevent the spread of any rumours related to the counting process.

Prominent among those in the fray are chief minister Saini (Ladwa), leader of Opposition Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD's Abhay Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), O.P. Dhankar (Badli), AAP's Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress' Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

A few rebels from both Congress and BJP have also entered the fray.

In 2019, the BJP formed the government with the support of JJP while most Independents had also extended support. However, JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended after the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Saini as chief minister in March this year.