Haryana Assembly Elections 2019: Re-polling underway in five booths

After a month-long campaign, voting in 90 Assembly seats of Haryana is underway, with as many as 1,169 candidates, including 105 women, in the fray. The BJP, however, is confident to retain power in Haryana where the Opposition Congress is in disarray. After the voting process ended, the exit polls took precedence and it showed that the BJP is gaining a majority in Haryana while Congress is looking down the barrel. An upbeat Manohar Lal Khttar predicted a 65-70 seats win for BJP, and the exit polls have confirmed his confidence. The counting will take place on October 24. Till then, stay tuned for further updates as anything can happen in the arena of politics.

Re-polling was underway in five polling booths in various assembly constituencies of Haryana on Wednesday.

Some "shortcomings" had been noticed after which re-polling was ordered in these booths, state's joint chief electoral officer Dr Inder Jeet had said on Tuesday.

Read more here

Assembly Elections: BJP predicted to win 2/3rd majority

A clutch of exit polls on Monday predicted BJP's retaining Maharashtra and Haryana with a two-third majority. It is bad news for Congress in Maharashtra where it may fall behind its ally NCP's tally.

Read more here

A roundup of the exit poll numbers

ABP-CVoter
BJP-- 72; Congress -- 8; Others -- 10

News18-IPSOS
BJP-- 75; Congress -- 10; Others -- 5

Times Now
BJP-- 71; Congress -- 11; Others -- 8

NDTV Poll of Polls
BJP-- 66; Congress -- 14; Others -- 10

India News
BJP-- 75-80; Congress -- 9-12; Others -- 1-4

TV9
BJP-- 47; Congress -- 23; Others -- 20

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar greets a Muslim voter during his visit to a polling station in his constituency, in Karnal district, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (PTI Photo)

BJP meanwhile took a jab at Rahul Gandhi after the exit polls showed thumping win for the party

File PTI photo Women stand in a queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Karnal district, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019.

Manohar Lal Khattar on today's voting process

The Poll of Polls according to NETA APP

News18 poll of polls

The News18 poll of polls is giving the same figure more or less, like the rest. According to their report, BJP is going to win 62seats, Congress will gain in 16 seats, while the other parties like JJP, INLD are expected to win 12 seats.

According to the NDTV poll of polls, BJP is getting 66 seats, At the same time, Congress is touted to get 14 seats.

BJP leader and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is projected to win from Karnal seat, according to a News18 report

Haryana poll of polls according to India Today

According to India Today, the poll of polls in Haryana is indicating a crushing win for BJP while Congress is languishing way behind, with the other parties combining to make up the remaining numbers. As per the report, BJP is going to win 69 seats, while Congress is looking at 11, and the other parties jointly are going to win 10 seats.

According to CNN News18, INLD is staring at a complete wipe-out in Haryana.

As per Times of India poll of polls, As per Poll of Polls, BJP is expected to win 63 seats, Congress to gain 16, Others 11

IPSOS exit polls

BJP- 75

Congress- 10

Others- 5

TV9 Bharatvarsh exit polls

BJP- 47

Congress- 23

Others- 20

Poll of Polls: What are they saying?

According to the Times Now poll of polls,

BJP- 63

Congress- 16

Others- 11

BJP dominating in Maharashtra

Meanwhile, BJP is cruising in Maharashtra according to the exit polls. For more, tune in to the Maharashtra Exit Polls Live Updates

Harayana exit polls according to NEWSX

BJP- 77

INC- 11

Others- 2

Election Commission: 65% voter turnout recorded till 6 pm in Haryana. Voting is still going on, so the turnout is likely to rise.

Haryana Times Now exit polls

BJP- 71

INC-11

Others-8

Republic-Jan Ki Baat exit poll: Congress projected to get 18% vote share and BJP likely to get 56% vote share in Haryana

BJP Haryana exit polls: JAN KI BAAT

BJP- 52

INC- 19

Others- 9

JJP-9

INLD-1

Congress Central Working Committee member and Congress candidate from Adampur Kuldeep Bishnoi flashes the victory sign with his wife Renuka and son Chaitanya, after casting his vote during Haryana assembly elections in Hisar district, Monday, Oct. 21, 20

Wrestler and BJP's candidate Babita Phogat (R) and sister Geeta Phogat show their inked fingers after casting votes during Haryana Assembly elections, in Charkhi Dadri, Monday, Oct. 21, 2019. (PTI Photo)

According to latest report, 61.72% Haryana voter turnout at 6 pm.

According to reports, there is 58% voter turnout in Haryana till 5 pm

On the other hand, 59 VVPATs, 19 EVMs replaced in Nagpur district due to glitches. You can jump to the Maharashtra Live Blogto get more such updates

ECI to go live on Twitter at 6:30 p.m

Vote for the development of Haryana: Rao Indrajit Singh

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics, Programme Implementation & Planning, Rao Indrajit Singh cast his vote today.

"Family reached the polling booth and cast their vote for the development of Haryana," he tweeted.

Krishan Pal Gurjar after voting

UnionMinister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment fromHaryana, Krishan Pal Gurjar, after voting.

"Voting first, then other work.Voted for the strong, capable and bright Haryana of our dreams," he tweeted.

Sunny Deol seeks vote for boxer Babita Phogat

JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries

BJP national working president JP Nadda to hold a meeting with party's General Secretaries tomorrow at BJP HQ over Maharashtra Assembly Polls and Haryana Assembly Polls. Discussions regarding party functions on birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, on 31st Oct, will also be taken up. (ANI)

'Most honest man': Rahul's dig at BJP Haryana candidate

Taking a dig at the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday described the BJP's candidate from Haryana's Assandh as the "most honest man" in the ruling party after avideo went viral in which he is purportedly heard saying no matter which button is pressed on the EVM, the vote would go to the BJP.

Gandhi posted the video in which sitting MLA Bakshish Singh Virk purportedly makesthe remarks. Virk has dubbed it as a "fake video" and alleged that it was a conspiracy by his opponents to defame him and his party.

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Haryana sees a voter turnout of 50.59% at 4 pm.

Opposition parties including Congress have already lost, says CM Khattar

CM having tea at a roadside dhabha in Karnal

39.58 per cent voter turnout by 3 pm

Haryana saw a39.58 per cent voter turnout by 3 pm for the Assembly Elections.

One woman injured as two groups clash, pelt stones outside polling booth in Nuh district

A woman was injured as clash took place between two groups outside a polling booth in Malaaka village in Nuh district inHaryana's Mewat region on Monday, a senior police official said. (PTI)

Actor-turned-politician Sunny Deol voted in Haryana

CM Khattar arrives in a cycle to poll booth

36.87% voter turnout in the state

Haryana, until 1 pm, has seen 36.87% voter turnout in the state.

Nearly 25 per cent polling till noon in Haryana

Haryana had recorded a polling percentage of nearly 25 per cent by noon as voting began on Monday morning in the 90 assembly constituencies amid tight security.

Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, officials said.

As per the Election Commission data, brisk polling was going on in many districts and around noon close to 25 per cent voters had exercised their votes.

Among the constituencies where brisk polling was going on included Kaithal (32 per cent), Guhla reserved segment (31 per cent), Thanesar (27.64 per cent), Sirsa (27 per cent), Narnaund (32 per cent), Tohana (30.50 per cent), Tosham (36 per cent), Rewari (30 per cent).

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Haryana Chief Electoral Officer, Anurag Agarwal said that ashow-cause notice was issued to the BJPcandidate who alleged that'every vote on EVM is for BJP. He added that the matter is being investigated.

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JJP leader Dushyant Chautala reaches polling station with his family on a tractor.

For Congress, all roads in Haryana lead to Hooda

Whether it was allocatingparty tickets or cutting dissenters down to size inHaryana, the Congress high command had little recourse other than relenting to the writ of former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Nearly 60% of the 90 candidates fielded by the party for the upcoming polls in Jatland are Hooda’s loyalists.

Given the falling political stock of the party in Haryana, the Congress central leadership weighed the risks and rewards in letting Hooda have his way.

Read the full report here.

People queue up to cast their votes at a polling station in Ganaur in Haryana state on October 21, 2019. (AFP Photo by Prakash Singh)

What ails the Congress today

Salman Khurshid’s latest comments on what ails the Congress is in line with the criticism mounted by several leaders who are suddenly taking on the Congress leadership. Khurshid has accused Rahul Gandhi of walking out as Congress President “in a huff”, thereby preventing the party from analysing the reasons for its defeat. Before we come to what ails the party, let’s look at its present condition.

Grumbling galore

The sniping in the party comes on the eve of the October 21 elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, where the party is fighting with its back to the wall.

Read the full report here.

TikTok fame Sonali Phogat more searched than Khattar

A glamorous rookie in Haryana poll fray beats even tall leaders like Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Congress' Hooda, when it comes to personalities being searched on Google this election.

Clad in a saree, as this first-time candidate of the BJP from the hot seat of Adampur in Hisar walks down dusty aisles in villages, she impresses voters while speaking in a chaste Haryanavi dialect.

Until Sonali Phogat made a surprise appearance in the BJP list of candidates, many knew her much as a sensation on popular media App TikTok.

Read the full report here.

Haryana recorded voter turnout of 23.2% until 12 noon.

Hisar’s Adampur still a family fiefdom

Ever since Haryana was carved out of Punjab post its reorganisation in 1966, the state has witnessed several governments of various political parties, yet there is one constituency where the political regime hasn’t changed in several decades.

In the last 11 Assembly elections, the family of former Haryana chief minister the late Bhajan Lal has always remained victorious from the seat of Adampur in Haryana’s Hisar.

This election, Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is the sitting MLA from Adampur, is seeking to get re-elected on a Congress ticket.

Read the full report here.

Haryana election rolls over regional party flavour

As one travels across the hinterland in Haryana, the flavour of regional parties appears gravely fragmented, rather arguably missing from the political spectrum this election.

The ascend of the saffron party has pushed even the principal opposition party, the Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to the wall. Elections in the past have always seen sizable footprints of regional parties acting as formidable contenders to mainstream political parties of the Congress and the BJP.

This time though, their penetration and appeal among masses appears ostensible, rather bereft of a popular connect at the grass root level that once existed. At least three prominent regional parties have dominated and formed governments in Haryana in the past. Yet, this is the first elections when regional parties may arguably face a rout.

Read the full report here.

Senior Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda casts his vote at a polling booth in Rohtak.

Cash crunch forces Congress to canvass old style

Facing a shortage of funds, the Congress has tweaked its campaign strategy by keeping the focus on door-to-door campaign as against big public meetings.

This was revealed by former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan in an interaction with DH in his hometown here.

"What you say as absence of big leaders from the campaign across the state is actually a strategy. We have decided to strengthen our strongholds," Chavan said claiming that the move had been fruitful.

Read the full report here.

Randeep Singh Surjewala casts his vote.

Haryana polls: 117 candidates face criminal cases

Nearly 1.83 crore voters including 1.07 lakh service voters, will exercise their franchise and choose a representative from 1,168 candidates who are in the fray for the 90-member Assembly in Haryana.

In all, 117 (or 10%) of the 1,138 candidates whose self-sworn affidavits were analysed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) have criminal cases against them. The number of candidates with criminal cases against them has gone up by 23 from 94 in the 2014 Haryana Assembly elections to 117 this year.

Read the full report here.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar cycles to the polling station.

21.76% voter turnout till 11 am

Haryana saw 21.76 per cent voter turnout till 11 am, according to Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.

Richest candidates in the fray in Haryana polls

The upcoming Haryana Assembly elections 2019 on Oct. 21 will witness a battle between candidates who have declared assets worth Rs 325 crore and ones who have zero assets.

The richest candidate in the fray is Jannayak Janta Party's Rohtas Singh, who is contesting from Sohna constituency in Gurgaon district. Singh has declared assets worth Rs 325 crore. He has twice the amount of assets compared to the second richest candidate in the fray in the Assembly bypolls.

Read the full report here.

Congress candidate from Tosham Kiran Chaudhary casts her vote.

All eyes on the Jats in Haryana

If the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) was able to transcend Haryana’s deeply entrenched Jat politics during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections – where it swept all 10 seats – then the Assembly election due next week will test it as far as its caste strategy goes.

This is because the political advantage of the Balakot strikes and the resultant nationalistic fervour around Prime Minister Narendra Modi are fast dissipating in Haryana’s Jat-dominated areas and no one knows this better than the Saffron party strategists. As a party of non-Jats that made it big in a Jat-dominated state in 2014, this October’s election will indicate whether caste polarisation is back to haunt the BJP.

Read the full report here.

TikTok star and Haryana BJP candidate Sonali Phogat casts her vote.

Once a rookie, Khattar proves his mettle in Jatland

Until 2014, not many had heard about him. He would work silently to aggrandize the philosophy of the Sangh at the grass-root. This RSS Parcharak surprised all when he turned out to be BJP’s wildcard entry and was seated as the chief minister of Haryana.

From tenderfoot in politics to an astute politician, 61-year old chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has not failed the BJP.

Read the full report here.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting vote during Haryana Assembly elections, in Karnal district on Monday. (PTI Photo)

Haryana polls: Surjewala eyeing hat-trick from Kaithal

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) communication in-charge, Randeep Singh Surjewala, is eyeing a hat-trick from his stronghold of Kaithal in October 21 Haryana assembly election.

A total of 18 candidates are in the fray from Kaithal, but it would be a direct contest between the Congress and BJP nominees.

The BJP has pitted former MLA Lila Ram Gujjar against Surjewala.

Read the full report here.

11.68% voter turnout in Haryana till 11 am

Until 11 am, 11.68 per cent voter turnout was reported in Haryana, according to Election Commission's Voter Turnout app.

Haryana’s love for Independent candidates on display

The non-discrete township of Pundri, in Haryana’s Kaithal, is a segment where leaders of even mainstream parties hesitate to contest elections. This aversion is not due to superstition but because over the last 24-years, this seat and several other Assembly elections have always been won by Independent candidates.

The Congress, BJP or the INLD can only dream of winning this seat. For the Pundri electorate, independent candidates are better performers than candidates of mainstream parties, who often fail to live up to people's expectations.

Read the full report here.

Haryana: Avg assets of re-contesting MLAs up by Rs 3.6cr

Haryana Minister and BJP MLA Captain Abhimanyu's assets have increased by Rs 93.04 crore in the last five years, which is the highest, according to a report issued by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), ahead of the state assembly polls on October 21.

In the past five years, the average asset growth for 62 re-contesting MLAs stood at Rs 3.62 crore.

Abhimanyu, a cabinet minister of Haryana, had declared assets worth Rs 77.04 crore in the 2014 election affidavit. His assets increased to Rs 170.45 crore in 2019. While filing his nomination from Narnaund constituency, he declared his salary as a minister and cited transportation business, rentals, interest and agricultural income as sources of income.

Read the full report here.

People queue up to cast their votes at a polling station in Ganaur in Haryana on October 21, 2019. (AFP Photo by Prakash Singh)

Real issues on back-burner, nationalism prevails

With BJP managing to overwhelm the election campaign with a high dose of masculine nationalism, the narrative in this Haryana polls remained bereft of real issues.

Unemployment, water scarcity, polarization on caste lines, per capita income, the burgeoning state debt, drugs, farmers distress and other issues grappling the state found limited space.The Opposition's counter to BJP’s campaign remained arguably subdued.

As per the report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Haryana has the highest unemployment in the country at 28.7%, against a national average of 8.4%.

Read the full report here.

Congress has already lost and left the battleground, says CM Khattar

"Voting is underway peacefully across the state. Opposition parties including the Congress have already lost and have left the battleground, their tall claims have no value," saysHaryana CM ML Khattar after casting his vote in Karnal.

7.44% polling in first two hours in Haryana

Polling began on Monday morning in 90 assembly constituencies of Haryana and during first over two hours poll percentage in the state was 7.44 per cent.

Polling began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, officials said. As per the Election Commission data, brisk polling was going on in many districts.

Read the full report here.

Haryana CM Khattar votes

Haryana CM exercised his duty by going to a polling booth in Government Girls School in Karnal, Premnagar. He encouraged all the voters of the state are requested to discharge their duties in this festival of democracy and vote for a happy and prosperous Haryana.

Go vote, post a selfie: ECI

CM Khattar's journey to Karnal to cast my vote

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar rides a cycle to the polling booth.

Voter turnout

Voter turnout is 8.73% and5.46% till 9 am in Haryana and Maharashtra, respectively. (ANI)

"Vote for the education, safety and respect of women," tweets BJP.

Dushyant Chautala and his family arrive on a tractor to cast their votes

Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala and his family arrive on a tractor, to cast their votes at a polling booth in Sirsa. (ANI)

People are influenced by Babita’s speech: Mahavir Singh Phogat

Wrestlers Babita Phogat, Geeta Phogat and their family cast their vote

Wrestlers Babita Phogat, Geeta Phogat and their family cast their vote at a polling booth in Balali village in Charkhi Dadri constituency. Babita Phogat is contesting on BJP ticket from here against Congress candidate Nirpender Singh Sangwan& JJP candidate Satpal Sangwan. (ANI)

Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympic Medallist & BJP candidate from Baroda casts his vote

Yogeshwar Dutt, Olympic Medallist & BJP candidate from Baroda casts his vote. He is contesting against Congress candidate Krishan Hooda.

DH Cartoons | Maharashtra, Haryana poll campaigns: Rahul Gandhi takes guard

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit out at Union minister Piyush Goyal for his remarks that Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee is "Left-leaning", saying "these bigots are blinded by hatred" and have no idea what a professional is.

Goyal, at a media briefing in Pune, had described Banerjee as a "Left-leaning" person. The Nobel laureate on Saturday told a TV channel that the commerce minister is "questioning my professionalism".

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Rivals dubbed me 'anari, but I am a 'sevak': Manohar Lal Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says his rivals long mocked him as an "anari" before acknowledging him as a "khiladi" after seeing his government's performance, but he would like to shun the monikers of novice and player to just be a "sevak", a servant of the people.

Confident of returning to power for a second term in office, Khattar said his government ran the state untainted by corruption or bias towards any caste.

In the last lap of his hectic campaign for the state assembly elections on October 21, Khattar told PTI that the BJP will receive support from all communities.

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Women accentuate BJP’s last mile delivery mission

Had it not been for BJP’s team of 'women warriors', Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s development model focused on the ‘last mile delivery’ would have, perhaps, fallen short of its desired objectives.

Foremost among these foot soldiers is sitting MLA from Kalka, Latika Sharma who has worked relentlessly towards the BJP’s quintessential last mile delivery agenda.

Talking toDH, 54-year old Latika Sharma, a Delhi-bred advocate by profession, explains why the last mile delivery of government schemes was essential to ensure equitable development under the Khattar regime.

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TikTok star Sonali Phogat casting her vote

TikTok star Sonali Phogat who is contesting on a BJP ticket from Adampur constituency, after casting her vote. She is up against senior Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi.

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Kumari Selja casts her vote

Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee President Kumari Selja casts her vote at polling booth number 103 in Yashoda Public School, inHisardivision inHaryana. (ANI)

Congress will bring prosperity: INC

"Everyone will get employment, every woman will smile. Now the farmers will prosper, everyone's worries will go away. Vote for Congress to support.Congress will bring prosperity," tweeted Congress.

Voting on hold at a booth in Badshahpur

Gurugram: Voting is on hold after an EVM machine at booth number 286 in Badshahpur stops working. (ANI)

Congress will get majority: Hooda

"Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress: Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) are not factors, the contest is between Congress & BJP. Congress will get the majority," says Congress leader and former Haryana CM Bhupindra Singh Hooda.

Wrestler Babita Phogat is contesting on a BJP ticket from Balali village in Charkhi Dadri constituency

Voting underway at polling booth 128-129 in Balali village in Charkhi Dadri constituency. Wrestler Babita Phogat is contesting on a BJP ticket from here against Congress candidate Nirpender Singh Sangwan and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Satpal Sangwan. (ANI)

Your one vote will keep Haryana on path of progress: Amit Shah

"Casteism, familism and corruption are the biggest inhibitors for the development of the brave land of Haryana. Your one vote for development and nationalism will keep Haryana on the path of progress. All my brothers and sisters from Haryana vote before taking refreshment and participate in the development process of the state," tweeted Union Home Minster Amit Shah.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., officials said.

Polling began Monday morning in 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana.

Polling began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 6 p.m., officials said.

As many as 1,169 candidates including 105 women of various political outfits are contesting the election.

The prominent figures include Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, JJP's Dushyant Chautala and INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala.

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#VoteKar Haryana!, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tweeted saying, "We appeal to the voters of Haryana, especially the young and first-time voters, to come out in large numbers and exercise your vote.

For betterment and fast-paced development, #VoteKar Haryana!"

I request all voters to cast their vote: PM

"Today is the voting day for the Haryana Assembly elections. I request all voters to cast their vote and participate in this festival of democracy," tweeted PM Modi, as voting is underway in Haryana's 90 constituencies.

PM Modi hopes youngsters vote in large numbers

"Elections are taking place for Haryana and Maharashtra assemblies. There are also by-polls taking place in various parts of India. I urge voters in these states and seats to turnout in record numbers and enrich the festival of democracy. I hope youngsters vote in large numbers," PM Modi tweeted.

Babita Phogat's father confident she will win by big margin

Father of wrestler Babita Phogat, Mahavir Singh Phogat, is confident that her daughter, who is contesting from Dadri as BJP candidate, will win by a big margin. "She has a clean image andher speeches are passionate, people are influenced by it andare giving her their blessings," he told ANI.

How to check your name on the electoral rolls

The Government of India and the Election Commission have come up with the means to verify whether your name is on the electoral rolls, as the location of your name can change from time-to-time or they could've been removed altogether.

Here is how you can check if your name is on the electoral rolls:

Go to the National Voters' Service Portal's electoral search page. The page offers two ways to check your name on the electoral rolls - EPIC number and general information.

Read the full report here.

Security measures in place for fair, peaceful polls: Haryana DGP

With Haryana going to polls today, Director General of Police Manoj Yadava appealed to people to reach their respective polling stations in large numbers and cast vote without any fear. He assured that the Haryana Police had made elaborate security arrangements for fair, peaceful and incident-free conduct of the assembly elections, in which over 1.83 people are eligible to vote.

Tight security arrangements had been made to ensure smooth polling and over 75,000 personnel had been mobilised, Yadava said. (PTI)

EVMs completely safe, can't be tampered with: Chief Electoral Officer

Hours after a video of a BJP candidate purportedly making controversial remarks about electronic voting machines surfaced on social media, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal sought to ally fears of tampering, saying these were completely safe.

"EVMs are completely safe and cannot be tampered with,"said Agarwal in an official release here on Sunday, adding that the EVM system was the "strongest and safest" in the world and every citizen should be proud of it.

In the video, BJP's Assandh candidate Bakshish Singh Virk purportedly says that no matter which button is pressed on the electronic voting machine, the vote would go to the BJP. Virk, however, had claimed that he never said anything about EVMs, adding that video was fake. (PTI)

In 40 seats, Congress, BJP in direct contest

As campaigning for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana ended on Saturday, it appears to be a direct fight between the incumbent BJP and the Congress on at least 40 Assembly segments.

In another dozen seats or so, there seems to be a triangular contest. It now remains to be seen whether the Congress, fraught with all its problems and major internal strife, can only put up a tough contest with the BJP or translate the contest into winning margins. Many top leaders across all parties are facing a tough contest.

Read the full report here.

Polling officials collect polling materials on the eve of Haryana Assembly elections, in Gurugram on October 20, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Real issues on back-burner, nationalism prevails

With the BJP managing to overwhelm the election campaign with a high dose of masculine nationalism, the narrative in this Haryana polls remained bereft of real issues.

Unemployment, water scarcity, polarization on caste lines, per capita income, the burgeoning state debt, drugs, farmers distress and other issues grappling the state found limited space. The Opposition's counter to BJP’s campaign remained arguably subdued.

As per the report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Haryana has the highest unemployment in the country at 28.7%, against a national average of 8.4%.

Read the full report here.

Key candidates in the fray are as follows:

Prominent amongst those in the contest are Chief Minister Khattar (Karnal), former chief minister and Congress Legislative Party leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), Randeep Singh Surjewala (Kaithal), Kiran Choudhary (Tosham) and Kuldeep Bishnoi (Adampur) and JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan).

The BJP has fielded three sportspersons -- Babita Phogat (Dadri), Yogeshwar Dutt (Baroda in Sonipat) and Sandeep Singh (Pehowa) -- besides TikTok star Sonali Phogat (Adampur).

Are you voting for the first time? Here's a guide on how to vote

Voting in these constituencies will begin at 7 am. Meanwhile, here's a guide for first time voters to help them understand how to vote at the polling booth.
On the voting day, when you have arrived at the polling booth you are assigned to (The ECI has strict standards of timing and day of voting, please make sure you stay within that), and you have probably braved a long line to get to your spot, you will see the following arrangement inside the booth:

Three polling officers sitting next to each other, each with a different assigned task, the presiding officer of the booth and any number of ballot units covered behind folds.

Read the full report here.

In the 2014 assembly polls, the BJP for the first time came to power in Haryana winning 47 seats. It won the Jind bypolls earlier this year, taking its total strength in the state assembly to 48. The INLD had 19 MLAs while the Congress has 17 legislators. The BSP and the SAD had bagged one seat each in the last polls while five were Independents.

The Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is also hoping for an improvement in its prospects following the Lok Sabha debacle. The party had emerged on the scene following a feud in the Chautala clan in Decamber last year.

In Haryana, the Congress is hoping to make a comeback following a change in guard in the state, while the BJP led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has set a target of winning 75 seats out of 90 in which 1,169 candidates of various political outfits are contesting. Currently, the BJP has 48 members in state assembly and had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the recent election.

Election FAQ: Casting a vote without a voter ID

The 2019 Assembly Election is here and with it returns the ever-present confusion of misplaced or lost voter cards, incomplete polling booth checks and a lot more as people scramble to get their vote counted and put up the next head of their states.

If you're one of those who has lost their voter cards or simply can't find it and are worrying that you cannot vote, fret not. The ECI says that you can votewithout a voter card. Here's how:

Make sure your name is on the electoral rolls. If you remember your EPIC number, it's great, but if you don't, it's all the same. Just head on over tothis guideto find out how you can confirm your place on the electoral rolls and what your polling booth is.

Read the full reporthere.

75,000 personnel mobilized for election duty in Haryana

Over 75,000 police personnel have been mobilised as part of the security arrangements for the October 21 Haryana Assembly election, state police chief Manoj Yadava said on Saturday.

In a statement here, the director-general of police said the force has taken all measures to ensure that the election is carried out in a peaceful manner.

As part of election preparedness, the neighbouring states will also deploy maximum force in their territory to ensure sealing of inter-state borders before the polls, he said.

Read the full report here.

Over 89L young voters to play key role in Haryana elections

Over 89 lakh young voters under 40 years of age are likely to play a crucial role in the Haryana assembly elections. According to the Election Commission data, there are 89,42,668 voters who fall in this category, which forms a major chunk of over 1.83 eligible voters in the state. There are over 3.82 lakh voters, many of them first-timers, who fall in the age group of 18-19 years while over 40 lakh are 20-29 years of age.

As many as 1,169 candidates, including 105 women, are in the fray in Haryana Assembly elections.

In Haryana, the BJP is confident of winning as the Opposition Congress is in disarray. Adding more woes to the Opposition camp, the split in INLD also have made the path easier for BJP.

Hello readers, welcome to our live coverage of Haryana Assembly elections 2019. Polling in 90 Assembly seats of Haryana will take place today. Stay tuned for live updates.