Even as counting progresses in the Haryana assembly election 2024, there seems to be a swing in fortunes for the ruling BJP. Though initial trends showed the Congress crossing the half-way mark of 46 seats, soon the tides turned in the favour of the saffron party. The party is now leading in 49 seats, proving the exit polls wrong, most of which had predicted a Congress comeback after a decade.
If the trend continues, the BJP, under incumbent Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, will complete a hat-trick of assembly poll wins in the Jat heartland. And the Congress will have to go back to the drawing board and assess why it could not capitalise on the public anger against the BJP government in the state over the farm laws, Agniveer scheme, unemployment and drug addiction.
ALSO READ: Haryana Election Results 2024 LIVE
Congress's candidate selection, too, will come under scrutiny. Ahead of the Haryana assembly polls, the party had expelled 13 rebels for 'anti-party activities'—they had decided to contest as independents after being denied party tickets.
With most of the seats facing multi-cornered contests—the INLD-BSP and JJP-ASP alliances are also in the fray, along with the BJP and the Congress—the performance of the independent candidates might prove to be the difference.
ALSO READ: Rebel trouble worries BJP, Congress
Here's a look at the 'rebels' expelled by the Congress last month, and how are they performing in the Haryana assembly election 2024:
Abhijeet Singh (Bhiwani) – Trailing; has got over 5,000 votes (BJP's Ghanshyam Saraf is leading, having got over 32,000 votes)
Satbir Ratera (Bawani Khera-SC) – Trailing; has got over 2,000 votes (BJP's Kapoor Singh is leading, having got over 25,000 votes)
Ajit Phogat (Dadri) – Trailing; has got over 800 votes (BJP's Sunil Satpal Sangwan is leading, having got over 23,000 votes)
Naresh Dhande (Guhla SC) - Trailing; has got over 7,000 votes (Congress's Devender Hans is leading, having got over 31,000 votes)
Pardeep Gill (Jind) - Trailing; has got over 4,000 votes (BJP's Dr Krishan Lal Middha is leading, having got over 42,000 votes)
Anita Dhull Badsikri (Kalayat) - Trailing; has got over 4,000 votes (Congress's Vikas Saharan is leading, having got over 13,000 votes)
Rajiv Mamuram Gondar and Dayal Singh Sirohi (Nilokheri-SC) - Trailing; have got over 20 votes and 30 votes respectively (BJP's Kapoor Singh is leading, having got over 25,000 votes)
Vijay Jain (Panipat Rural) - Trailing; has got over 19,000 votes (BJP's Mahipal Dhanda is leading, having got over 42,000 votes)
Sajjan Singh Dhull and Sunita Battan (Pundri) - Trailing; have got over 300 and 60 votes respectively (BJP's Satpal Jamba is leading, having got over 20,000 votes)
Nitu Mann (Prithla) – Withdrew affidavit
Dilbag Sandil (Uchana Kalan) - Trailing; has got over 4,000 votes (Congress's Brijendra Singh is leading, with over 20,000 votes)