New Delhi:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini today made it clear there will be no change in the candidates’ list announced by the BJP for the assembly election scheduled on October 5.

The Chief Minister’s comment comes after the BJP announced its first list of 67 candidates, following which the party faced protests from minister Ranjit Singh Chautala and MLA Lakshman Dass Napa, who were not given tickets. Both have resigned.

Mr Saini said everyone should put to rest any speculation about tweaks in the candidates’ list. He said everyone wants a ticket, but the “lotus” can be given to only one person.

“It is natural for ticket-seekers to get angry. But they will be persuaded,” the Chief Minister said at a party meeting in Rohtak.

Haryana Energy and Jails Minister Ranjit Chautala, 79, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, said he took a decision after a meeting with his supporters and will now enter the contest as an iIndependent.

Former minister Karan Dev Kamboj also stepped down as the state BJP’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) Morcha chief after he did not get a ticket.

Despite Mr Saini’s attempt to downplay the events, former minister Savitri Jindal, who had quit the Congress and joined the BJP in March, days after her son and industrialist Naveen Jindal had also joined the BJP, said she will fight from Hisar, even as an independent.

After quitting the party, Mr Napa met former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his house in Delhi, and later joined the Congress.

“No one has left the party… Karan Dev Kamboj and Lakshman Napa are our senior leaders… we will make them understand,” Mr Saini said.

The BJP is aiming for a hat-trick in Haryana, but faces a tough challenge from a resurgent Congress which is looking to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor.

Mr Saini is the BJP’s chief ministerial face for the assembly polls. The counting of votes for the elections to the 90-member assembly will take place on October 8.

In Gurugram, after Mukesh Sharma was announced as BJP candidate, party leader and aspirant Naveen Goyal revolted and resigned. Mr Goyal, state convener of the BJP’s business cell and head of its environment protection department, has now decided to contest as an independent.

Along with him, more than 150 party officials and workers announced they are leaving the party.

Mahendragarh:

A woman was shot dead in broad daylight at a bus stand here on Friday, the police said.

The shooting triggered a commotion as people at the bus stand ran helter-skelter in panic. The victim has been identified as Munni Devi, a resident of Khudana village in Mahendragarh district.

Munni Devi and her husband Dinesh had come to Mahendragarh for some work and were waiting at the bus stand to return to their village when a young man approached and shot her on the head.

Munni Devi fell unconscious from the gunshot. She was rushed to the Mahendragarh Civil Hospital, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.

The police soon reached the crime scene and began the investigation.

The incident was captured on CCTV, which shows a masked assailant shooting Munni Devi and then striking her twice on the waist before fleeing. He stumbled on the road but managed to escape, with several onlookers pursuing him.

The victim’s husband claimed that the shooting was the result of an ongoing land dispute. He also identified the assailant as his nephew, who, along with others named Rohit and Vishnu, had previously threatened him.

Local police station in-charge Sudhir Kumar confirmed that the murder is linked to a land dispute between two families.

A case has been registered and the investigation is going on, he said, adding that the accused will be arrested soon.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Congress party is gearing up for the Haryana assembly elections, which will be held on October 5 with results announced on October 8. The party is finalising its candidate list and has decided not to announce a chief ministerial candidate, opting instead for a combined leadership model.

The Congress has also resumed talks with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regarding a potential alliance. Although the two previously contested the 2024 general elections together, early indications suggested they would go their own ways in the assembly polls.

Confident after its strong performance in the general elections, where it matched the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with five seats each, the Congress believes it has a good chance in state elections.

In the general elections, the BJP led in 44 assembly segments, the Congress in 42, and the AAP in four. In terms of vote share, the BJP received 46%, the Congress 44%, and the AAP 4% votes.

No CM Face to Curb Factionalism

After the CEC meeting on Monday, Congress leader Ajay Singh Yadav announced that the party would not project a chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Haryana assembly elections. The final decision on the chief ministership will be made by the high command after the elections.

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh emphasised that defeating the BJP should be the priority for the INDIA bloc. He noted that the party’s National General Secretary (Organization) Sandeep Pathak would engage in talks with Congress if the proposal gained momentum. “The final decision will be made by Arvind Kejriwal,” Singh told reporters.

AAP’s Haryana chief, Sushil Gupta, stated his personal opinion that the party should not settle for four to five seats but left the final decision to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Kejriwal. Reports also indicate that AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha is involved in back-channel negotiations with Congress leadership.

Appealing To Broad Groups

Currently, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupender Singh Hooda is leading the Congress effort, but a faction including Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala is reportedly unhappy with Hooda consolidating power.

Kiran Choudhury, who was part of this faction, left the party for the BJP after her daughter was denied a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections. The decision to not announce a chief ministerial candidate is seen as a move to curb factionalism and appeal to a broader electorate.

This strategy aims to avoid a Jat versus non-Jat contest. The Congress, under Hooda’s leadership, is perceived as representing Jat interests. The BJP has exploited Jat versus non-Jat dynamics to its advantage in previous polls. Congress is focusing on a coalition of Jats, Dalits, and Muslims. Dalits, who make up 20% of the population, are crucial. Kumari Selja’s role as a Dalit face and the non-announcement of a CM candidate help maintain hope within the Dalit community.

According to a CSDS post-poll study, 64% of Jats and 68% of Dalits voted for the INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress hopes this decision will help retain the majority of Dalit votes.

Possible Alliance With AAP

The Congress-AAP alliance performed well in the general elections, winning five seats and securing a 48% vote share. Although AAP contested the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat and lost, it led in four assembly segments and garnered a 4% vote share. The AAP’s solo run could split the opposition vote and potentially benefit the BJP.

The Congress aims to avoid a repeat of the 2019 scenario when the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), led by Dushyant Chautala, seemingly spoiled its chances. The JJP’s 10 seats, largely from Jat-dominated areas, hurt the Congress’s prospects.

Both parties initially planned to go solo, but last-minute discussions at the high command level revived talks. The AAP is reportedly demanding 10 seats, while the Congress is currently offering two to three.

The Bania community, comprising 4% of the population, Aroras/Punjabis/Khatris (7%), and Sikhs (5%) are significant demographics in Haryana. The AAP has pockets of influence among these groups in Delhi and Punjab and is expected to gain some support in Haryana as well.

In the 2024 general elections, the BJP led in 19 of 23 urban seats, while the Congress led in only four. In rural Haryana’s 60 seats, the Congress led in 34, and the BJP in 22. The AAP is believed to have considerable influence in urban areas, particularly those bordering Delhi and Punjab, where Congress’s weak seats are located.

This strategy allows Congress to focus on strengthening its position in its strong Jat-dominated region while leveraging AAP’s influence in weaker areas to maximise gains in the assembly elections.

(Amitabh Tiwari is a political strategist and commentator. In his earlier avatar, he was a corporate and investment banker.)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

New Delhi:

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress Wednesday afternoon and will contest next month’s Haryana Assembly election. Ms Phogat is expected to challenge for the Julana seat held by the Jannayak Janta Party’s Amarjeet Dhanda. Mr Punia’s likely seat is unclear. The two met Congress MP Rahul Gandhi today, after which news of their political and electoral debut was confirmed.

Ms Phogat and Mr Punia made headlines last year after leading protests against former wrestling body chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who faces charges of sexual assault and intimidation. He was also a BJP MP at the time but was denied a ticket to defend Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP, instead, fielded his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who won the seat.

The Congress will hope that bringing Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia onboard will strengthen its appeal among voters in the Hindi heartland state, which the BJP has ruled since 2014. Ms Phogat’s connect with Haryana farmers – lakhs of whom continue to protest against the BJP on issues like legal guarantees for MSP – will also have been a factor in the Congress’ consideration.

Last week Ms Phogat visited farmers camped out at a protest site in Shambhu on the Haryana-Delhi border, describing herself as “your daughter” and saying she prays to God to deliver justice for them.

“Your agitation completes 200 days today. I pray to God that you get what you came for – justice. Your daughter stands with you. I also urge the government… we too are citizens of India and just because we raise our voices it is not political,” she said, “You (the government) should hear them.”

Then, though, when asked about her political debut, Ms Phogat was circumspect.

“I will not speak on this… I will not talk about politics. I have come to see my family. If you (the press) insist on talking about this you will take focus away from their (the farmers’) struggle. The focus is not on me today. The focus should be on the farmers, I request this…” she said.

New Delhi:
The Election Commission deferred the Haryana assembly election voting date to October 5 from 1 to ensure a centuries-old festival of the Bishnoi community can be held with community members’ full participation. Votes will be counted on October 8.

Here’s your 5-point cheat sheet to this story

New Delhi:

The Haryana assembly election will be held on October 5 instead of 1 to honour the voting rights and respect the traditions of the Bishnoi community, whose festival falls during this period, the Election Commission (EC) announced today.

Accordingly, the counting day for both Haryana and the Jammu and Kashmir elections has been revised to October 8 from 4.

The EC acknowledged that the Bishnoi community has upheld a centuries-old practice to participate in the Asoj Amavasya festival in remembrance of Guru Jambeshwar.

The EC had received representations from the All India Bishnoi Mahasabha based in Rajasthan’s Bikaner for rescheduling voting day in Haryana. The Bishnoi group said that for generations numerous families from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana have observed a tradition of visiting their village Mukam in Rajasthan during “Amavas” in the month of “Asoj”, for their annual festival in Bikaner in the memory of their Guru Jambheshwar.

This year, the festival falls on October 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families living in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar would be travelling to Rajasthan on voting day, denying them their voting rights, the EC said.

The EC has often adjusted election dates to respect the sentiments of various communities.

For instance, during the Punjab assembly election in 2022, the EC postponed the election by a week to accommodate devotees travelling to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti.

Similarly, in Manipur during the 2022 assembly elections, the EC changed the polling dates to respect the Christian community’s Sunday prayers.

In the 2023 Rajasthan assembly election, the EC rescheduled polling originally scheduled on Devuthani Ekadashi, a day significant for mass weddings in Rajasthan.

In the Uttar Pradesh assembly election 2012, the poll date was changed due to Barawafat. Coincidentally, the revised polling day would also resolve any concerns of a six-day holiday by taking a one-day leave on September 30, the EC said.

New Delhi:

Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda has said since the Congress went out of power a decade ago, the state has been on a downward spiral. Enumerating the sectors where the Congress left Haryana in the Number One spot, he told NDTV in an exclusive interview that it was per capita income, investment, employment, law and order and sports.

“Now, Haryana is Number One in unemployment. Law and order is going out of their hands. The Social Progressive Index has declared Haryana as unsafe unsecured state. And our team of women wrestlers, who brought name and fame to the country, are sitting on protest in Jantar Mantar and still not getting justice,” he told NDTV.

Last but not the least are the farmers and government employees, “all of whom are on protest mode”.

Regarding the pension of government employees, he said the BJP-led government at the Centre should have reverted to the Old Pension Scheme that was in place before the New Pension Scheme was brought in by the government led by Atal  Bihari Vajpayee in 2004.

Asked whether he welcomed the new UPS scheme the government is bringing in, the response was emphatic. “They should have gone for the OPS,” which, he said, the Congress has promised to the people in Haryana.

The other big issue in this election is that of farmers, who form the largest voting bloc in the state. Last time, the new outfit JJP (Jannayak Janta Party) of Dushyant Chautala had scooped up 14 per cent of votes eating into the Congress share, and won 10 seats.   

But since then, the party has faced the brunt of the farmers’ anger, It failed to win a single seat in the Lok Sabha election. The party has blamed it on the anti-incumbency against the BJP, with which its partnership has ended.

Mr Hooda indicated that it was not a surprise.

“In 2014 and 2024, the BJP promised they will be doubling the income of farmers by 2022. But what happened? The income of farmers has not doubled. But the cost of input has gone up manifold,” he said. As example, he cited the cost of diesel, fertiliser, and pesticides.
Haryana will have a single-phase election on October 1. The votes will be counted on October 4.

In 2019, the BJP had won 40 of the state’s 90 assembly seats and formed government with the JJP, which won 10. The Congress won 31 seats.

Chandigarh:

 With 2.03 crore voters, Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pankaj Agarwal has said as per the schedule for the Haryana legislative Assembly polls the nomination papers can be filed until September 12 with their scrutiny next day.

The candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 16 with voting on October 1. The vote count will be on October 4.

Mr Agarwal said that the final voter list will be published on August 27. If the names of young individuals who turned 18 by July 1 are not on the voter list, they should contact their respective Booth Level Officer (BLO) and complete the form to get their vote registered.

He said 2,03,27,631 voters will be able to exercise their right to vote. Out of these, 1,08,19,021 are men, 95,08,155 are women, and 455 are third-gender voters. There are 482,896 young voters in the 18 to 19 age group. Similarly, there are 149,387 voters with disabilities and 242,818 voters who are over 85 years old.

Also, there are 9,554 voters who are over 100 years old. The 20 to 29 age group includes 41,52,806 voters.

Mr Agarwal said there will be 20,629 polling booths in the state, of which 7,132 will be in urban areas and 13,497 in rural areas. These polling booths have been set up at 10,495 locations across the state.

He said that Haryana has 90 Assembly constituencies, out of which 17 are reserved constituencies. Furthermore, candidates can spend up to Rs 40 lakh on their election campaign. They must provide details of a separate bank account to the District Election Officer for this purpose.

He said the candidates can use the Suvidha App to get approvals for election rallies, roadshows, helipads, etc. The voters can use the KYC App to get information about the background of the candidates and a special app Saksham has been developed to assist voters with disabilities.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The ten years of BJP governance in Haryana has left the state nowhere and the people now are eager for a change, Congress’ Deepender Hooda told NDTV in an exclusive interview today. Mr Hooda, who is on a footmarch across the state, today reached the 49th constituency. He said his yatra has only made it clear that the state is ready for change.

“Ten years of misgovernance on part of the BJP has left Haryana nowhere. Haryana today ranks number one in terms of unemployment, in terms of inflation, number one in drug use, and number one in the whole nation as far as crime is concerned,” Mr Hooda told NDTV.
The crime rate, he said, was “from the data of the Central government”.

The senior Congress leader also alleged a trust deficit between the BJP’s central and state leaders, given the state government was caught unprepared for the Election Commission announcement of poll dates that came two days ago.

Asked about the massive transfers of officials shortly after the Election Commission’s announcement and the immediate imposition of the Model Code of Conduct, Mr Hooda said, “This just shows desperation on part of the BJP”.

“In fact, this also shows that the state government was not consulted by either (Centre and the Election Commission). They did not know the Election Commission was going to take this step. So somehow there is lack of confidence between the state government and the Central government and the Election Commission,” he said, pointing out that  in the morning, the Chief Minister was saying there was absolutely no chance that elections are going to be held in time.

“They were preparing for a Cabinet meeting. In fact, some of the announcements they made have not been notified to the Election Commission,” he added.

On Friday, the Haryana government had issued transfer orders for 21 IAS, 12 IPS and 68 state civil and police services officers with immediate effect.

While official sources said the transfer orders were issued before the election schedule was announced, Opposition parties targeted the state’s BJP government, alleging that it has openly flouted the poll code.

Chandigarh:

The Haryana Civil Medical Services (HCMS) Association on Wednesday called for a shutdown of health services in government hospitals on July 25 to protest non-fulfilment of doctors’ demands, even as the government urged them to consider the impact of the strike on patients.

Four HCMS Association doctors, including its president Dr Rajesh Khyalia, started an indefinite hunger strike in front of the office of the director general, Health Services, in Panchkula.

The doctors’ demands include formation of a specialist cadre, a career progression scheme that ensures parity with central government doctors, no direct recruitment of senior medical officers (SMOs) and reduction in the bond amount for postgraduate courses.

“Over the past several months, we have been given repeated assurances pertaining to our various demands but they remain unfulfilled. So, we have decided to observe a total shutdown of health services including OPD, emergency, post-mortem, etc., from tomorrow,” Khyalia said.

“On July 18, we were assured by the additional chief secretary, health, that a notification will be issued before July 24 pertaining to two demands — assured career progression and the bond issue — but nothing has happened,” he said.

“We had told the government a month back that we would be compelled to shut down all services from July 25 (if our demands are not met),” he added.

On the government’s invitation for talks on Thursday, Khyalia said, “We will attend the meeting, but if there is no outcome, then our strike will continue indefinitely.” In a letter to the HCMS Association, which represents government doctors in Haryana, Health Minister Kamal Gupta urged doctors to consider the impact of their strike on the general public.

“I understand that… numerous pressing demands (have been) put forth by your members, and I want to assure you that these concerns are being taken very seriously.

“Recently, I held a productive meeting with the chief minister and other higher officers to discuss these matters extensively. We recognise the importance of your demands and are actively working towards a resolution that will be satisfactory to all parties involved,” he said.

“However, I urge each one of you to consider the impact of a strike on our patients and the general public. We have a responsibility to ensure that healthcare services remain uninterrupted, especially for those who rely on us in their times of need,” the minister said.

On July 15, the government doctors had observed a two-hour strike to press their demands. The strike had affected outpatient department (OPD) services in government healthcare institutions across the state.

According to the HCMS Association, doctors have to submit two bonds of Rs 1 crore each for admission to postgraduate courses, which is too high and should be reduced considerably.

On the direct recruitment of SMOs, the association has said it would block the growth of hundreds of medical officers awaiting promotion to the post after completion of 20 years of service.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)