Haryana seems to have sprung a surprise, by choosing to go with the ruling BJP, though exit polls gave the Congress the edge. Though the final results of the Haryana assembly election 2024 are yet to come in, trends show that the saffron party, which is leading in 48 seats, will nose ahead in the tightly-contested race.
Interestingly, early trends on the counting day showed Congress crossing the half-way mark, sparking celebrations among the party workers in the state. The mood, however, changed as the rounds of counting progressed, giving the ruling BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, a clear lead.
Although the Congress and the BJP were the major players, there were other parties like the INLD, JJP, BSP and AAP who were expected to make a splash. While the AAP put up a disappointing performance, the INLD is leading two seats, and the BSP in one.
Here are the key candidates and how they fared in their constituencies.
Nayab Singh Saini (BJP)
The Haryana chief minister won Ladwa assembly seat by a margin of 16,054 votes against his nearest Congress rival Mewa Singh. Saini was made the chief minister in March this year replacing two-term CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Reports said Saini, who belongs to Other Backward Class, is likely to get another term at the top seat.
READ: Nayab Singh Saini likely to continue as CM
Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Congress)
The former chief minister retained his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district, defeating his nearest BJP rival Manju Hooda by a margin of 71,465 votes. Hooda helmed the Congress campaign in the state, but the party failed to make a comeback after a 10-year gap. The results came as a setback to Hooda as he had dominated the party’s poll strategy and called the shots in candidates selections.
READ: What Congress's failure means for Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Vinesh Phogat (Congress)
The former wrestler called her maiden electoral win from the Julana assembly seat. She defeated BJP’s Yogesh Kumar by a margin of 6,015 votes. Phogat was at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh against whom several women wrestlers have raised sexual harassment allegations.
Savitri Jindal (Independent)
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Jindal, an independent candidate and mother of BJP's Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, won the Hisar seat, defeating her nearest rival and Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rana by a margin of 18,941 votes. Forbes India has listed Jindal as the richest woman in the country having a net worth of USD 29.1 billion.
Abhay Singh Chautala (INLD)
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader lost the Ellenabad assembly seat. He was defeated by Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of 15,000 votes.
Dushyant Singh Chautala (JJP)
The Jannayak Janta Party leader and former deputy chief minister faced a humiliating defeat in Uchana Kalan—a seat that he won in 2019. Chautala, the great-grandson of former deputy prime minister Devi Lal, had earlier predicted that no single party would be able to cross the 40-seat mark in the state.
Anil Vij (BJP)
The former home minister won the Ambala Cantt seat, defeating Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara by a margin of 7,277 votes. Vij has won the seat for the seventh time. Congress candidate Parvinder Pal Pari stood third.