Chandigarh (Haryana): Voting began for 90 assembly seats in Haryana on Saturday and saw a voter turnout of 22.70 percent per cent till 11 AM, the Election Commission of India said.
As per the data shared by the ECI, Palwal recorded the highest poll percentage of 27.94 per cent, followed by Jind 27.20 per cent, Mewat 25. 65 per cent, Yamunanagar 25.56 per cent, and Ambala 25.50per cent, till 9 AM.
In Rohatak, the poll percentage was recorded 12.71 per cent, 23.45 per cent in Bhiwani, 20.10 percent in Charkhi Dadri, 20.39 in faridabad, 24.69 in Hisar till 11 AM.
"More than 25% voter turnout has been recorded, with some districts like Yamunanagar, Kaithal, and Bhiwani showing more than 20%. This is a very encouraging trend, and I am confident that we will achieve a good overall voter turnout. Based on past elections, I believe we will surpass our previous voting percentage. Our efforts to engage voters through various awareness programs have made a difference, especially with the inclusion of new young voters," Nodal officer of Haryana election commission Manish Kumar lohan said.
"If we calculate the average so far, I believe we should aim for at least a 70-75% voter turnout, and it could even be higher. Overall, the voting process has been peaceful and conducted in a very pleasant environment. Regarding the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), since they are technical items, there can sometimes be issues with our polling parties. However, our instructions are well laid out, and our sector officers are following the Election Commission's guidelines effectively," he added.
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Voting in Haryana started at 7 AM in the morning and will go till 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.
According to Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer, Pankaj Agarwal, 2,03,54,350 voters, including 1,07,75,957 males, 95,77,926 females, and 467 third-gender voters, will cast their votes in the Assembly Elections on October 5.
A total of 1,031 candidates are contesting across 90 constituencies, and 20,632 polling booths have been set up for the election. The Chief Electoral Officer highlighted that a total of 29,462 police personnel, 21,196 home guards, and 10,403 Special Police Officers (SPO) have been deployed across the state.
Meanwhile, both the Congress and the INLD have claimed that their parties will emerge victorious on October 8.
Senior Congress MP Kumari Selja asserted on Saturday that the decision on the candidate for chief minister's post in Haryana will be taken by the party high command if the Congress emerges victorious in the assembly elections.
Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Kumari Selja said, "I believe in hard work and work on the ground. I am a soldier of the party and I am confident about my work... The final decision will be taken by the party high command." She also expressed confidence in Congress winning the Haryana assembly polls and credited Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra with changing the atmosphere in favour of Congress in Haryana.
Former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala said on Saturday that INLD will form a government in Haryana.
"INLD will form government in Haryana and Aditya Chautala (an INLD candidate from Dabwali constituency) will win from here with a good margin," he said.
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.
—ANI