All 10 LS seats go to vote amid churn in state politics
CHANDIGARH: All 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana recorded an overall turnout of 59.61% on Saturday, as polling was held in a single phase, against the backdrop of a political churn and change of guard in the state earlier this year.
Besides the Lower House, voting was also held for bypoll to the Karnal assembly seat, where chief minister Nayab Singh Saini is in the fray. The bypoll was necessitated by Saini’s predecessor Manohar Lal Khattar’s resignation in March.
Data provided by the Election Commission on its Voter Turnout app at 11pm revealed that Ambala Lok Sabha constituency saw a maximum turnout of 64.31% followed by Hisar at 62.80%. Gurugram recorded the lowest turnout of 54.18%
Khattar and Saini were among the first to cast their votes at their respective booths. Saini, accompanied by his family members, cast his vote in his native Mirjapur Majra village in Ambala district’s Naraingarh. Khattar exercised his franchise at Karnal’s Prem Nagar.
In a post on X, Saini urged the people of Haryana to “participate enthusiastically in this festival of democracy”. “Choose a stable government which is dedicated to making the country safe and prosperous, which works for the welfare of the poor and for the glory of India. You should choose a government that is against corruption and wants to end poverty and make the country self-reliant, developed and number one in the world in every field,” he said.
Chief electoral officer Anurag Agarwal earlier said that keeping in mind the hot weather conditions, the provision of additional resources at polling centres was made in all districts, including arrangements for cold water, coolers, fans and tents.
Among the top guns of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who are in the fray are Khattar from Karnal, Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar from Gurugram and Faridabad, respectively, and Naveen Jindal, a former twoterm Congress MP, from Kurukshetra.
In the Congress, the prominent leaders are Kumari Selja (Sirsa), Deepender Singh Hooda (Rohtak) and Raj Babbar (Gurugram).
A total of 223 candidates are contesting the Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the BJP had swept Haryana, winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats.
The voter turnout for Karnal assembly byelection was 50% and for Karnal Lok Sabha constituency was 59.82%. Saini is contesting the assembly by-poll against Congress candidate Tarlochan Singh.