Haryana election result: Congress takes early lead

The counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly elections is underway.

As of 9.10 am, the Congress was leading in two constituencies, according to the Election Commission. The Bharatiya Janata Party was ahead in one seat and an Independent candidate was ahead in one constituency.

While the poll panel had not updated the early trends from most constituencies, several news reports said that the Congress was ahead of the BJP in several seats.

The Legislative Assembly in Haryana has 90 members and 46 seats are required for a majority.

The Assembly polls in Haryana took place in a single phase on Saturday. A turnout of 67.9% was recorded.

Most exit polls have projected the Congress to win a clear majority.

Background

The BJP, which is fighting to win a third-consecutive term, is facing a challenge from the Congress led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The Indian National Lok Dal tied up with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party allied with MP Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram).

The Aam Aadmi Party, which is the Congress’ ally at the national level, contested the polls alone.

There was also dissatisfaction among the voters fuelled by concerns about livelihood and inflation.

The Agnipath scheme, introduced by the BJP-led Union government in 2022, alienated voters in a state that traditionally sends more personnel...

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