Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath as the counting day approaches in Haryana, with the ruling BJP confident of retaining power for a third term, and the Congress, which is out of power for 10 years, more than hopeful of making a comeback when results are announced on Tuesday.
Officials said all preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process which begins at 8 am on October 8.
"A three-tier security arrangements have been made at counting venues," Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer 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 would be used by the winner 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.
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.
A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in single phase on October 5.
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 October 8.
He said when results are announced on October 8 the Congress will blame Electronic Voting Machines.
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 of a comfortable majority.
On BJP leaders claiming that their party will return to power, Mr 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 has exuded confidence that his alliance will get good numbers.
Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whose party contested Haryana polls on its own, has been claiming that no government in Haryana can be formed without the support of his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The ruling BJP has been saying that its return to office will be powered by its record on good governance, transparent administration, equitable development, jobs on merit, welfare initiatives for all sections including farmers, poor and the weak.
However, Congress and other opposition parties have dubbed the BJP government a failure, and targeted it on issues related to farmers, unemployment, Agniveer, inflation, law and order, and others.
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).
From Tosham seat, former MP Shruti Choudhry of BJP and Anirudh Chaudhary, both cousins, are contesting.
From Dabwali, Devi Lal's grandson Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate, is taking on JJP's Digvijay Singh Chautala, great grandson of the former deputy prime minister.
The BJP has fielded former chief minister late Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi from the Adampur segment of Hisar while its nominee from Ateli in Mahendragarh is Arti Rao, whose father Rao Inderjit Singh is a Union minister.
Among the Independents are Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).
Taking on Dushyant from Uchana is Congress' Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh.
A few rebels from both Congress and BJP have also entered the fray.
In the outgoing Assembly, the strength of ruling BJP is 41 (including the Adampur seat won in 2022 bypoll), the Congress has 28 MLAs, the JJP (6), while Haryana Lokhit Party and Indian National Lok Dal have one member each.
There are four Independents, while nine seats are vacant.
Seven of the nine seats fell vacant as their representatives resigned after switching sides, while the Badshahpur seat fell vacant as Independent MLA Rakesh Daulatabad died in May.
The Mulana seat is lying vacant since Congress' Varun Chaudhary fought parliamentary polls and got elected from Ambala.
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 Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister in March this year.
