Haryana Assembly Election 2024: BJP set for historic hat-trick; Congress alleges delay in updating trends

Haryana Assembly election 2024: In a dramatic turn of events, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Indian state of Haryana is set to return for a record third term, defying exit poll predictions that favoured the Congress. By mid-morning, the BJP had crossed the majority mark in the 90-member Haryana Assembly, setting the stage for its historic third consecutive term.

Counting began at 8:00 am (local time), with early trends suggesting a Congress surge, leading some channels to term it a "Congress Tsunami." However, by 10:00 am (local time), the scenario shifted in favour of the BJP.

Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging an "inordinate and unacceptable delay in updating trends in the Haryana assembly elections."

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The Congress leader said, "Over the last two hours between 9-11 AM, there has been an unexplained slowdown in updating of results on the ECI's website."

Haryana went to the polls on October 5, witnessing a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. A total of 1,031 candidates contested the election, including 464 independents and 101 women.

Though exit polls predicted a Congress win, BJP’s Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini dismissed these projections, expressing confidence that his party would secure a full majority.

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While the contest remained primarily between BJP and Congress, regional players like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) also competed. 

Both JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and INLD’s Abhay Chautala have hinted at the possibility of playing kingmakers in the event of a hung assembly, while AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal claimed that no government could be formed without his party's support.

The confirmed results of the elections will be announced by the end of the day, October 8.

(With inputs from agencies)