Haryana Assembly Elections 2024 Results: The Congress is hopeful of a victory even as trends showed the BJP crossing the half-way mark in a neck-and-neck battle
Haryana Election Results 2024: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra today advised the party to accept the people’s verdict in Haryana after the BJP, in a dramatic turnaround, wrested power from the hands of the Grand Old Party which was leading when postal ballots were counted. In a post on Instagram, Vadra, sharing a picture during what seemed like a poll campaign, said: “Accept what the people want and help the state develop, with the leaders they choose. Think large, think India.” The consolation came as the Congress halted its premature celebrations even as senior leaders like Bhupinder Hooda and Kumari Selja insisted that a victory was still possible and trends were not a sure-shot indication of the results.
According to the latest trends on the Election Commission website, BJP was ahead on 49 seats, more than the majority mark in the 90-member Assembly, while Congress was leading in 35 seats, Independents in 5, BSP and INLD was ahead in one seat each.
All eyes are on the first major direct contest between the BJP and the Congress following the Lok Sabha polls, given that the result will 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 BJP, 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.
A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray in 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.
Here are the latest updates:
• BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya took a dig at Rahul Gandhi as trends showed the Congress trailing in Haryana after an initial lead. Taking to X, Malviya said the Grand Old Party was far behind in eight of the 12 assembly constituencies — Bahadurgarh, Sonipat, Sadhaura, Ladwa, Kharkhauda, Gannaur, Gohana, Naraingarh, Mulana, Shahabad, Thanesar, and Nooh — that Gandhi had visited during his Vijay Sankalp Yatra.
• Irked over the delay in publishing the Haryana results on the Election Commission website, the Congress has decided to file a complaint with the poll body. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the delay “mind games”, adding: “The same happened during Lok Sabha election. ‘Khel Khatam Nahi Hua Hai [game is not over yet]. We are filing a complaint. EC Should function independently.”
• Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has claimed his party BJP will form the government for a third time with full majority, calling the Congress “corrupt”.
• Congress’s Deepender Singh Hooda is on his way to Rohtak from Delhi. Both him and Bhupinder Singh Hooda will go to the Congress campaign office to meet supporters as the party looks to wrest victory.
• 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 party.
• 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), OP Dhankar (Badli), AAP’s Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress’ Vinesh Phogat (Julana).
• 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.
• 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.
