Chandigarh, Oct 8 (IANS): Defying all exit poll results, the ruling BJP is certain to win a third term in office on Tuesday as the counting of votes is underway, with incumbent Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini saying that the party is ready to serve Haryana for the third time.
However, the Congress, which has been out of power for 10 years, has been far behind despite it has won more seats than in the 2019 Assembly elections.
This electoral battle, the first significant face-off between the two national parties after the Lok Sabha elections, has the potential to shape the political discourse in the upcoming Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi.
The BJP and Congress have been engaged in a seesaw battle since counting began at 8 a.m., with the BJP on track for a hat trick, leading in 45 seats and already securing three wins. The Congress is ahead in 34 seats and has also won eight seats.
Interestingly, the Aam Aadmi Party has not yet secured any seats in Haryana despite contesting on all 90 seats.
“The BJP is ready to serve Haryana for the third time” said BJP leader and incumbent Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who is leading from the Ladwa seat in Kurukshetra district.
BJP’s state president Mohan Lal Badoli, who is not contesting the polls, said, “Our national leadership has already decided that Nayab Singh Saini will remain the CM.”
Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat won the Julana Assembly constituency by a margin of 6,015 votes.
“This was a people’s battle, and they’ve won and I was just a face. I am thankful for all the love and respect that I've received,” said Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat.
On the Congress trailing behind the BJP, she added: “Let's wait for the final results. I am sure the Congress will definitely win.”
From the Thanesar seat, Ashok Kumar Arora from the Congress secured victory with 70,076 votes, gaining a margin of 3,243 votes. His opponent, Subhash Sudha from the BJP polled 66,833 votes.
Savitri Jindal, an Independent candidate, has secured victory from Hisar. Savitri Jindal is India’s wealthiest woman and controls OP Jindal Group.
She was in the fray from Hisar, the urban general seat with a 73 per cent literacy rate, which she represented for two consecutive terms from 2005. She twice became a minister for nine years in the Bhupinder Hooda-led Congress government.
In these elections, she sought one last chance to serve the people and complete the developmental works of Hisar as the people’s representative.
In Ambala Cantonment, BJP candidate and six-time legislator Anil Vij is currently leading with 42,460 votes, enjoying a margin of 6,670 votes over his nearest rival, Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara, who has received 35,790 votes.
BJP candidate Shruti Choudhry has made the lead against her cousin and Congress candidate Anirudh Chaudhary from the Tosham seat. Shruti was leading by 13,981 votes after 15 rounds of counting.
From the Muslim-dominated Nuh, all three seats were retained by the Congress. They are Aftab Ahmed from Nuh, Mohammad Ilyas from Punahana and Mamman Khan from Ferozepur Jhirka.