Over 60 per cent polling in Haryana assembly polls

PTI Chandigarh: Over 60 per cent polling in Haryana assembly polls ( L E A D ) Chandigarh, Oct 5 (PTI) Over 60 per cent polling was recorded in the Haryana assembly elections on Saturday in which the ruling BJP is eyeing a third term and the Congress seeking a comeback after a decade. Officials said polling, which closed at 6 pm, went on smoothly barring a clash in Nuh between supporters of two candidates which left three persons injured. According to the data available at 5 pm, 61 per cent polling has been registered and it will further increase once all information comes in.

The BJP, Congress, the INLD-BSP and the JJP-Azad Samaj Party alliances and the Aam Aadmi Party are the key parties contesting the polls. A total of 1,031 candidates are in the fray, including 101 women and 464 Independent nominees. Counting will be taken up on October 8. Among the top names in the fray are Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, BJP’s Anil Vij and O P Dhankar, Congress’s Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat, INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP’s Dushyant Chautala. Among the districts, according to the Election Commission data available at 5 pm, Yamunanagar had recorded a poll percentage of 67.93, Sirsa 65.37, Rohtak 60.56, Nuh 68.28, Palwal 67.69, Mahendragarh 65.76, Kurukshetra 65.55 and Jind 66.02. However, by 5 pm, districts like Gurgaon recorded 49.92 poll percentage, Faridabad recorded 51.28 while Panchkula registered 54.71 percent.

Haryana Jan Sevak Party nominee from Meham constituency Balraj Kundu accused former MLA Anand Singh Dangi of assaulting him and his assistant at a polling booth. In Nuh district, there was a clash among supporters of the Congress’ sitting MLA from Punhana and Independent candidate Rahish Khan in a village in the constituency which left three injured. On Panipat’s Nohra village, police said they had received information of a fight at polling booth resulting in serious injury to one person, who had to be hospitalised. There were reports of a minor scuffle between supporters of rival candidates in Hisar district’s Narnaund. Saini, who is contesting from Ladwa in Kurukshetra, cast his vote in his native village Mirza in Ambala district’s Naraingarh. He attacked the Congress, saying it has been regularly insulting the Dalit community and has never brought any scheme for its upliftment. “The Congress has a dual face, they talk of honesty but they indulge in loot,” he alleged.

“The mood of the people of Haryana is clear, the BJP is going to form the government for the third time with a big mandate,” Saini said. Among the first voters to cast vote was Union Minister and former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who his vote in Karnal. Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker (22) exercised her franchise for the first time. She was accompanied by her parents when they went to cast their votes in Jhajjar district’s Goria village. Bhaker also appealed to the people, especially the younger ones, to come out and cast their votes. Congress stalwarts Hooda, Kumari Selja and Randeep Singh Surjewala, who also exercised their right to vote, said their party would form the next government. The Congress high command will take the call on the next chief minister after the party wins the polls, they added.