Voting for the Haryana Assembly elections concluded on Saturday, with around 63% voter turnout reported by 5:30 PM. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aims to secure a third consecutive term, while the Congress is seeking a comeback after a decade in the political wilderness. However, exit poll results suggest that the BJP may struggle to retain power in the state.
According to exit poll data from People's Pulse, the Congress is projected to win 55 out of the 90 seats, surpassing the magic number of 46 needed to form a government. Similarly, Dhruv Research also indicates a potential Congress-led government, forecasting 57 seats for Congress, 27 for the BJP, and 6 for other parties. Matrix-Republic estimates Congress could secure between 55 to 62 seats.
The key parties contesting in the Haryana Assembly elections include the BJP, Congress, the INLD-BSP alliance, the JJP-Azad Samaj Party alliance, and the Aam Aadmi Party. Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, BJP leaders Anil Vij and OP Dhankhad, Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat, and INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP's Dushyant Chautala.
A total of 1,031 candidates, including 101 women and 464 independents, contested the elections. Voting ended at 6 PM, and the counting of votes will take place on October 8.