The Election Commission has changed the Haryana election date. Voting will now take place on October 5 instead of October 1. Additionally, the counting of votes in both Haryana and Jammu-Kashmir will be on October 8 instead of October 4.
The Election Commission released a statement explaining this decision, citing the upcoming festival in Haryana. This decision was made to respect the voting rights and traditions of the Bishnoi community, who celebrate the Asauj Amavasya festival in memory of their guru Jambheshwar.
The Election Commission received a memorandum from the President of the All India Bishnoi Mahasabha, Bikaner, Rajasthan, requesting the change in Haryana Assembly election date. The President explained that families from Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana travel to their ancestral village in Mukam, Rajasthan, for the annual festival in memory of Guru Jambheshwar during the 'Amavas' of the ‘Asauj’ month. This year, the festival falls on October 2, and thousands of Bishnoi families living in Sirsa, Fatehabad, and Hisar will travel to Rajasthan, preventing them from casting their votes.
BJP and INLD Also Requested Date Change
The BJP and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) also requested the Election Commission to change the date. Both parties submitted written requests to delay the election date (October 1), stating that the current date coincides with a weekend, public holidays, and religious festivals. According to them, September 29 and 30 are Saturday and Sunday holidays, followed by another holiday on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti. This sequence of holidays could lead to low voter turnout as people might take advantage of the long weekend to travel.
However, the Congress, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) opposed changing the election date. They argued that the BJP is afraid of a potential defeat and hence requested the change.
Single-Phase Voting in Haryana
It is noteworthy that voting for Haryana’s 90 assembly seats will be conducted in a single phase. The Election Commission initially scheduled Haryana’s election for October 1, with results to be declared on October 4. Similarly, elections were also planned for Jammu-Kashmir with results on October 4. However, the dates have now been revised by the commission.
The current term of the Haryana Assembly will end on November 3, 2024. The previous assembly election was held in October 2019. Post the election, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Jannayak Janta Party coalition formed the state government, and Manohar Lal Khattar became the Chief Minister. However, when political equations changed later, the party appointed Naib Singh Saini as Chief Minister.
