In Haryana, voters will cast their ballots on Saturday for 10 parliamentary seats as well as the Karnal assembly by-election. In this electoral showdown, 223 candidates which include political heavyweights such as former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Congress leader Kumari Selja, will be vying for the public's favor. The sixth phase of the parliamentary elections features a mix of 207 male and 16 female hopefuls.
Over 2 crore people are eligible to vote in the state. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is contesting the by-election from Karnal. Polling is set from 7 am to 6 pm on May 25th.
What does previous election data suggest?
In the 2019 general elections, BJP swept all 10 parliamentary seats in Haryana. This year’s elections pit central ministers like Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar against seasoned politicians including former CM Manohar Lal and Congress stalwarts Kumari Shelja and Deepender Singh Hooda.
In Karnal, BJP candidate Khattar faces off against Haryana Youth Congress president Divyanshu Budhiraja. The majority of Haryana's seats are witnessing a direct contest between the incumbent BJP and the challenging Congress, though multi-cornered battles are emerging in constituencies like Hisar.
In Hisar, Power Minister Ranjit Singh Chautala competes as an independent legislator who joined BJP before the elections, challenged by the Chautala family members – JJP's Naina Chautala and INLD's Sunaina Chautala, with Congress’s Jay Prakash also in the fray.
Industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal is BJP’s choice for Kurukshetra, squaring off against AAP state chief Sushil Gupta and INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala.
Central ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar are campaigning to retain their seats in Gurugram and Faridabad, respectively, with Congress fielding heavyweight Raj Babbar in Gurugram.
For Sirsa, it’s a contest between Congress’s Kumari Sheija and BJP’s Ashok Tanwar while Rohtak sees Deepender Singh Hooda up against BJP's Arvind Sharma.
The JJP, INLD, and BSP have also entered the fray with a substantial number of candidates, signaling that the parliamentary elections in Haryana are far from a two-party race.
467 transgender individuals to cast their votes as well
Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal announced that among the 2,00,76,768 registered voters, there are 94,23,956 women and 467 transgender voters. For the parliamentary and assembly by-elections, 45,576 EVMs will be used throughout the state. He further highlighted that 24,039 control units and 26,040 VVPAT machines will also be deployed.
An official statement disclosed plans to establish 300 checkpoints within the state and at interstate borders, with more than 20,000 polling places set across 10,343 locations. Among these, 1,362 places with 3,033 booths have been designated as crucial, and 51 booths as sensitive, necessitating additional police presence. The statement added that 418 flying squads, 415 static surveillance teams, 34 quick response teams, and 1,039 patrolling teams will also be deployed to ensure a smooth and fair election.
