The Haryana Assembly, consisting of 90 seats, is set to hold elections on October 5. The vote counting for the Assembly elections in both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana is scheduled for October 8.
In Haryana, the total number of eligible voters stands at 20.1 million, with 10.6 million males, 9.5 million females, 452,000 first-time voters, and 4.09 million young voters.
Candidates in Haryana must submit their nominations by September 12, with scrutiny taking place on September 13. The final date for withdrawing candidatures is September 16.
Haryana Assembly elections: Full schedule
Date of issue of gazette notification: September 5
Last date of making nominations: September 12
Date for scrutiny of nominations: September 13
Last date for the withdrawal of candidatures: September 16
Date of polling: October 5
Date of counting of votes: October 8
Haryana Assembly polls: 90 constituencies
Haryana Assembly polls 2024: Key parties and alliances
National Democratic Alliance (NDA): Led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Nayab Singh Saini as the chief ministerial face.
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA): Led by the Indian National Congress (INC), with Bhupinder Singh Hooda as the chief minister face.
JJP-ASP Alliance: Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) have announced an alliance, with Dushyant Chautala as the chief ministerial candidate.
INLD-BSP Alliance: Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have formed an alliance, with Abhay Singh Chautala as the chief minister face.
Other parties contesting include Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Haryana Lokhit Party.
Haryana Assembly elections: Key constituencies and candidates
Haryana’s 90 Assembly seats are distributed across 22 districts. Of these, 73 are unreserved, while 17 are designated for Scheduled Castes (SC). No seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its first list of candidates for 41 seats. The Congress has also announced its first batch of 30 candidates. The JJP-ASP alliance is contesting 70, and 20 seats, respectively. Meanwhile, the INLD-BSP alliance is fielding candidates in 53, and 37 constituencies, respectively.
Haryana elections 2024: Key issues
Farmers’ protests and demand for MSP guarantee
The ongoing farmers’ protests are aimed at demanding a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
Agnipath scheme
The Agnipath scheme, which introduces a 4-year term of service in the Indian Army with only 25 per cent of recruits continuing afterwards, has sparked concern among Haryana’s youth. Critics argue that this shift away from permanent recruitment could create job instability for soldiers.
Unemployment and job creation
The issue of unemployment remains a significant concern in Haryana, with the state’s unemployment rate surpassing the national average. This has sparked ongoing debates about the effectiveness of government efforts to generate employment for the youth, making it a key issue in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Wrestlers’ allegations
The case involving wrestlers and the sexual harassment accusations against Brij Bhushan Singh has emerged as a key issue in the Haryana elections. Singh was removed as the president of the wrestling federation last year following months of protests by several prominent wrestlers, who accused him of sexually harassing female athletes.
Anti-incumbency
The BJP government in Haryana is under scrutiny due to several governance challenges, including accusations of corruption, lack of transparency, and ineffective execution of welfare programmes. There is a noticeable anti-incumbency sentiment among some voter groups, highlighting the need for the BJP to address these issues and emphasise its accomplishments in the state, state news reports.
These governance issues, along with other critical areas such as infrastructure development, healthcare, and education, are expected to heavily influence the electoral dynamics in Haryana.
2019 Haryana Assembly polls
In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party winning 40 seats. The Congress secured 31 seats, while the JJP won 10 seats. The INLD and Haryana Lokhit Party each won one seat, with Independents claiming seven seats.
The BJP formed a coalition government with the JJP, and Manohar Lal Khattar continued as the chief minister. However, the alliance collapsed in March 2024, leading to Nayab Singh Saini taking over as the new chief minister.
In the 2019 elections, Haryana witnessed an estimated voter turnout of 65.67 per cent, which was around 11 percentage points lower than the 76.54 per cent recorded in the previous election five years earlier.
