Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath for the Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir Assembly poll results on Tuesday, with the ruling BJP expecting to retain Haryana for a third term, and the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, more than confident of making a comeback.
Officials said all preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process which begins at 8 am on October 8.
Jammu and Kashmir also voted alongside Haryana, but most seats there have witnessed multi-corner contests rather than a direct Congress-BJP fight.
From the BJP to the National Conference, both national and regional parties are geared up to form the next possible government in the region after a hiatus of 10 years. Jammu and Kashmir is likely to flip a new page in its political affairs after October 8, the day results will be announced.
The region, a strategic one due to its location and a treasure trove of resources, has been rife with tension both historically and in contemporary times. Delayed elections only exacerbated the situation after the region lost its statehood in 2019.
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.
”A three-tier security arrangement has been made at counting venues,” Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pankaj Agarwal told PTI on Monday. 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 constituencies 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 constituencies which voted in single phase on October 5.
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 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 of 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 Haryana polls on its own, has been claiming that no government in Haryana can be formed without his party’s support.
With inputs from agencies.
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Haryana and J&K votes to be counted today; Cong confident, BJP hopeful
