Haryana Assembly election 2024 - Counting
Haryana Assembly election 2024 - Counting

Haryana: BJP ahead in 49, Cong 35; Cong claims 'unexplained slowdown' in updating results of Haryana polls on ECI website

The ruling BJP has crossed the majority mark in the Haryana assembly and was leading on 49 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 35, according to the latest trends available on the Election Commission website.

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini wins Ladwa seat

Chandigarh | Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini won Ladwa assembly seat on Tuesday by a margin of 16,054 votes against his nearest Congress rival Mewa Singh, according to the Election Commission.

The BJP is in the lead in 50 of the 90 seats in Haryana while the Congress is ahead in 35.

Haryana went to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes is underway.

Previously, Saini was the MP from Kurukshetra, the parliamentary constituency in which Ladwa falls.

People in Haryana gave mandate to BJP for Modi govt's work: Khattar

New Delhi | People have given a mandate to the BJP in Haryana for a third consecutive term on Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's policies, achievements and way of functioning, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Tuesday.

The former Haryana chief minister's remarks came after the BJP appeared poised to win the state assembly polls with the party leading in around 50 seats out of 90, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission's website.

“People have sent out a message. The Modi government's policies, achievements and way of functioning were leaving an impact on the people. Responding to this, people have given the mandate to the BJP for a third consecutive term,” Khattar told reporters here.

After an over nine-year stint, the veteran BJP leader was removed as Haryana chief minister and replaced by Nayab Singh Saini in March this year ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

It is for the first time that any party is going to form its government in Haryana for a third time, Khattar added.

Earlier in the day, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is the BJP's in-charge for Haryana, and other leaders met Khattar at his residence here.

Independent candidate Savitri Jindal wins the Hisar assembly seat in Haryana

Chandigarh | Independent candidate Savitri Jindal won the Hisar assembly seat in Haryana, according to the Election Commission.

Jindal, who is the mother of BJP's Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, defeated her nearest rival and Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rana by a margin of 18,941 votes.

Jindal polled 49,231 votes while the Congress candidate secured 30,290 votes.

BJP candidate and outgoing MLA Kamal Gupta was at the third spot with 17,385 votes.

Forbes India listed Savitri Jindal as the richest woman in the country this year having a net worth of USD 29.1 billion.

Counting of votes polled for the 90 seats in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Haryana polls: Cong leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda retains Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat

Chandigarh | Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday retained his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district, defeating his nearest BJP rival.

77-year-old Hooda won by a convincing margin of 71,465 votes defeating BJP's Manju Hooda.

However, Hooda's party Congress, which was eyeing to make a comeback in Haryana after a 10-year gap, was trailing with BJP ahead in 50 of the 90 seats.

Congress was ahead in 35 seats, according to the latest Election Commission trends.

Haryana went to polls on October 8, while counting of votes was taken up on Tuesday.

Nothing on record to substantiate your ill-founded allegation of slowdown in updating of Haryana poll results: EC to Congress.

Cong candidate Vinesh Phogat wins her debut election, defeats BJP's Yogesh Kumar from Julana seat in Haryana.

Chandigarh | Olympic wrestler and Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday won her maiden election, defeating her nearest BJP rival Yogesh Kumar from Julana assembly seat in Haryana, according to the Election Commission.

Phogat defeated Kumar by a margin of 6,015 votes.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 Haryana elections began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Biggest lesson from Haryana is never be overconfident in elections: Kejriwal

New Delhi | With the BJP racing ahead in Haryana as per the early trends, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the "biggest lesson" of the poll results is that one should never be "overconfident" in the elections.

The BJP looks forward to a comfortable win in Haryana, leading in 50 of the 90 assembly seats.

"Let us see what the results are in Haryana. The biggest lesson of this is that one should never be overconfident in the elections," said Kejriwal addressing a gathering of the AAP municipal councillors.

"No election should be taken lightly. Each election and each seat is tough," he added.

The AAP failed to reach a pre-poll alliance in Haryana with the Congress due to disagreement over number of seats to be contested by it.

It independently contested 89 of the total 90 seats in the state after its demand for being given 9 seats was turned down by the Congress.

The AAP candidates were trailing on almost all the seats behind their BJP and Congress opponents.

Kejriwal had earlier during the poll campaign in Haryana asserted that no government would be formed in the state without the AAP's support.

He asked the party councillors to work hard for the Delhi Assembly polls due in February next year and ensure that the garbage was properly collected and disposed of from their wards.

"You will have the most important role in this (Delhi) election. We will win the elections just if you ensure there is proper garbage collection and disposal from your areas which is a very basic thing," said the former Delhi chief minister.

Cong retains Nuh as Aftab Ahmed defeats INLD's Tahir Hussain

Chandigarh | Congress candidate Aftab Ahmed won the Nuh assembly seat in Haryana on Tuesday, defeating his nearest rival and Indian National Lok Dal nominee Tahir Hussain. according to the Election Commission.

Ahmed, who was the outgoing MLA from Nuh, defeated Hussain by a margin of 46,963 votes.

The BJP's Sanjay Singh was at the third spot.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Cong claims 'unexplained slowdown' in updating results of Haryana polls on ECI website

New Delhi | The Congress on Tuesday raised with the Election Commission the issue of an "unexplained slowdown" in updating of results of Haryana elections on the poll watchdog's website and urged it to direct officials to update accurate figures so that "false news and malicious narratives" can be countered immediately.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that over the last two hours between 9 and 11 am there has been an "unexplained slowdown" in updating of results on the ECI's website.

"As you can imagine this allows bad faith actors to spin narratives that undermine the process. You can see examples of it already playing out on social media," Ramesh said in his letter.

"Our fear is also that such narratives can then be used by these mala fide actors to influence processes where counting is still underway i.e. in most of the counting centres," he said.

"We request you to issue immediate directions to your officials to update the website with true and accurate figures so that false news and malicious narratives can be countered immediately," Ramesh said.

Earlier, in a post on X, Ramesh said, "Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to-date trends on the ECI website." "Is the BJP trying to build pressure on administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends @ECISVEEP?" Ramesh said.

Latest trends uploaded by the Election Commission showed that the BJP was ahead in 49 seats while the Congress in 35.

The majority mark for the 90-member assembly is 46.

Cong complains to ECI, claims between 9 and 11 am there has been 'unexplained slowdown' in updating of Haryana results on poll body's website.

Slowdown in updating results allows bad faith actors to spin narratives that undermine process: Jairam Ramesh to ECI on Haryana polls.

Issue directions to update website with accurate figures on Haryana polls so that malicious narratives are countered: Cong to ECI.

Slowing down of uploading trends on ECI website: Cong on Haryana poll trends

New Delhi | The Congress on Tuesday alleged that there was a slowing down in uploading trends for the Haryana polls on the Election Commission website.

The opposition party also asked whether the BJP is trying to build pressure on the administration by sharing "outdated" and "misleading" trends.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to-date trends on the ECI website." "Is the BJP trying to build pressure on administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends @ECISVEEP?" Ramesh said.

Latest trends uploaded by the Election Commission showed that the BJP was ahead in 49 seats while the Congress in 35.

The majority mark for the 90-member assembly is 46.

EC trends available for all 90 seats in Haryana: BJP ahead in 49, Cong 35

Chandigarh | The ruling BJP has crossed the majority mark in the Haryana assembly and was leading on 49 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 35, according to the latest trends available on the Election Commission website.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda were ahead in their seats. However, INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP's Dushyant Chautala were trailing from their seats.

Congress' Vinesh Phogat was trailing from the Julana seat in Jind district where BJP's Yogesh Kumar was ahead by 3,641 votes.

The two parties have been engaged in a sea-saw battle in the state after the counting of votes began at 8 am. The early trends available on TV channels showed the Congress ahead of the BJP, but the ruling made rapid strides later.

According to EC trends available at 10.55 am, the BJP was leading in 49 seats and the Congress on 35.

Independents were leading on four seats while INLD and BSP were ahead on one seat each. The Aam Aadmi Party is yet to get off the mark.

Chief Minister Saini, who is contesting from Ladwa in Kurukshetra, was ahead by a margin of 3,070 votes over his Congress rival and sitting MLA Mewa Singh.

Congress leader Hooda, who is seeking a reelection from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, was leading by a margin of 22,182 over the BJP's Manju Hooda.

Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala was trailing the Congress' Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of 4,999 votes. However, Abhay's son and INLD candidate Arjun Chautala was leading from the Rania seat over his grand uncle and Independent candidate Ranjit Chautala by a margin of 4,997 votes.

From the Uchana Kalan seat, Congress' Brijendra Singh was leading over his nearest BJP rival Devinder Attri by a margin of 3,177 votes, while sitting MLA and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala was trailing.

Among the Independents, Savitri Jindal, mother of BJP MP from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal, was leading from Hisar seat over her nearest rival Ram Niwas Rara of the Congress.

From Ambala Cantt, senior BJP leader and former Minister Anil Vij was trailing to Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara by a margin of 1,199 votes.

While the BJP is looking to ride to power for a third consecutive term, the Congress is eyeing a comeback in Haryana after 10 years.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections began at 8 am. Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements have been put in place at counting venues.

Agarwal had Monday said the postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term.

The key parties and alliances in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats will see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in a single phase on October 5.

BJP over halfway mark in Haryana trends

New Delhi | The ruling BJP edged past the Congress in Haryana while the National Conference-Congress alliance was headed for a majority in Jammu and Kashmir, according to trends on the Election Commission website on Tuesday.

As votes were counted for assembly elections held last month, it was a mixed bag for the Congress and the BJP - the saffron party headed for defeat in Jammu and Kashmir but bucked early morning trends to move ahead of the Congress in the nail biting Haryana contest. If the trends hold, the Congress may well have to settle for a loss in the heartland state and a ‘second partner win' in the union territory.

The BJP, hoping for a third consecutive term in Haryana, was ahead in 47 of the 90 seats in Haryana, two over the halfway mark. The Congress, which had surged ahead in morning leads, was leading in 36 seats.

As the vote count oscillated between the ruling and the opposition parties, the vote share was also tantalisingly close at 11 am, three hours after counting began. The BJP was at 38.7 per cent and the Congress a little more at 40.5 per cent.

“The Congress will get a majority. Congress will form government in Haryana,” veteran Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda told reporters in Rohtak.

“The credit will go to Rahul Gandhi ji, Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Priyanka Gandhi ji, and other leaders," he said, adding that the real credit goes to the people of Haryana. Kumari Selja, his party colleague and a rival for the chief ministerial post should the Congress win Haryana, was also sure her party would emerge victorious.

“Hold your horses. Congress will form a government with overwhelming majority,” she said.

The BJP was equally confident.

“We are pretty confident we will win Haryana with a good margin and form government for a third time,” party leader Harish Khurana told NDTV.

Jammu and Kashmir, where assembly elections are being held for the first time since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated and the state bifurcated into union territories, looked set to throw up a decisive verdict.

Haryana polls: Cong's Vinesh Phogat trails from Julana

Chandigarh | Congress candidate and wrestler Vinesh Phogat is trailing from Julana assembly seat in Haryana's Jind district, losing her initial lead, according to the Election Commission website.

Phogat was trailing behind her BJP rival Yogesh Kumar by a margin of 3,641 votes.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 Haryana elections began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Cong will form govt on its own in Haryana: Hooda

Chandigarh | Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday asserted that his party is going to form the government on its own in Haryana, where trends showed the BJP crossing the halfway mark.

Speaking to reporters in Rohtak, former chief minister Hooda said the Congress "will get a majority".

Asked whether his party will require any support for forming the government, he reiterated that the Congress will form the government on its own.

"The credit will go to Rahul Gandhi ji, Mallikarjun Kharge ji, Priyanka Gandhi ji, and other leaders," he said Real credit goes to the people of Haryana, he further added.

According to the latest trends on the Election Commission website, BJP was ahead on 49 seats, more than the majority mark in the 90-member Assembly, while Congress was leading in 35 seats, Independents in 5, BSP and INLD was ahead in one seat each.

Haryana: JJP's Dushyant Chautala trailing from Uchana Kalan

Chandigarh | JJP leader Dushyant Chautala is trailing from the Uchana Kalan assembly seat in Haryana, according to Election Commission of India trends.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Chautala, a former deputy chief minister of Haryana, was at the fifth spot, the trends showed around 10.30 am.

Congress candidate Brijendra Singh was leading by a margin of 1,362 votes from his nearest rival and BJP candidate Devender Chatar Bhuj Attri.

EC trends show BJP past halfway mark in Haryana

Chandigarh | The ruling BJP has crossed the halfway mark of 45 in the Haryana assembly polls and was leading on 48 seats now, while the Congress was ahead on 33, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission website.

The two parties have been engaged in a sea-saw battle in the state after the counting of votes began at 8 am. The early trends available on TV channels showed the Congress ahead of the BJP, but the ruling made rapid strides later.

According to EC trends available at 10.20 am, the BJP was leading in 48 seats and the Congress on 34.

The majority mark for the 90-member assembly is 46.

Haryana: Savitri Jindal leading from Hisar

Chandigarh | Independent candidate Savitri Jindal is leading from the Hisar assembly seat in Haryana, according to Election Commission trends.

Jindal, who is the mother of BJP's Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, is leading by a margin of 3,836 votes from Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rara. BJP candidate and outgoing MLA Kamal Gupta was at the third spot.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Sea-saw battle in Haryana, BJP now ahead of Cong

Chandigarh | The ruling BJP and the Congress were engaged in a sea-saw battle in Haryana on Tuesday as the Election Commission website showed the saffron party was just ahead of the Congress after about two hours of counting of votes on Tuesday.

According to EC trends available at 10 am, the BJP was leading in 43 seats and the Congress on 34, the first time the ruling party overtook the Congress after counting began at 8 am.

The counting of votes for all the 90 assembly seats began at 93 centres in 22 districts of the state amid tight security.

While the BJP is looking to retain power for a third consecutive term, the Congress is eyeing a comeback in Haryana after 10 years.

According to the latest EC trends, INLD and Independents were ahead on one seat each.

Earlier trends on the ECI website showed the Congress was leading on 18 seats while the BJP was ahead on 14 seats.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was leading in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district by a margin of 732 votes.

As per the early trends shown by Election Commission website, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was leading from his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district by a margin of 11,099.

Congress' Vinesh Phogat was leading from Julana seat in Jind by a margin of 214 votes.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements have been put in place at counting venues. Agarwal had Monday said the postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term.

Cong still in lead in Haryana but BJP catching up; Nayab Saini, Hooda ahead on their seats

Chandigarh | After trailing the Congress in Haryana in early trends, the BJP has covered some ground, with official figures showing it is now leading on 31 seats, but the grand old party is still ahead with 38.

The counting of votes began at 8 am and early trends available on TV channels showed the Congress was way ahead of the BJP after about one-and-a-half hours of counting.

But as the counting progressed, the Election Commission trends showed the BJP made rapid progress and was leading in 31 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 38.

However, these are early trends and the actual situation would become clear as more votes are counted.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements have been put in place at counting venues.

According to the Election Commission website, former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was leading from his Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district by a margin of 5,082 votes.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was leading in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, early trends on TV channels showed.

Agarwal had Monday said the postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term.

The key parties and alliances in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats will see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in a single phase on October 5.

Agarwal on Monday said 93 counting centres were set up for 90 assembly constituencies in 22 districts of the state. To monitor the counting process, 90 observers also have been appointed by the Election Commission of India.

Director General of Haryana Police Shatrujeet Kapur said comprehensive security arrangements were in place for the counting.

Bhupinder Hooda leading from Garhi Sampla Kiloi seat

Chandigarh | Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda is leading from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Haryana, according to early trends.

Hooda, the former chief minister of Haryana, is leading by a margin of 5,082 votes, the Election Commission trends showed.

Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Cong takes early lead in Haryana; Nayab Saini, Hooda ahead on their seats

Chandigarh | The counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday, with early trends on TV channels showing the Congress ahead of the BJP.

Some reports showed the Congress past the majority mark of 45 in the 90-member assembly. But these are early trends and the actual situation would become clear as more votes are counted.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was leading in Ladwa in Kurukshetra district, while Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda was ahead of his rivals in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district.

BJP leader Anil Vij was leading from his Ambala Cantt seat. Indian National Lok Dal leader Abhay Singh Chautala was leading from his Ellenabad constituency, according to early trends.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala's son Aditya Surjewala was leading from Kaithal seat.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements have been put in place at counting venues.

Agarwal had Monday said the postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term.

The key parties and alliances in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats will see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in a single phase on October 5.

Agarwal on Monday said 93 counting centres were set up for 90 assembly constituencies in 22 districts of the state. To monitor the counting process, 90 observers also have been appointed by the Election Commission of India.

Director General of Haryana Police Shatrujeet Kapur said comprehensive security arrangements were in place for the counting.

He said a sufficient number of police officers were deployed at every counting centre.

Prominent among those in the fray are Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini (Ladwa), Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD's Abhay Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), O.P. Dhankar (Badli), AAP's Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress leader Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

Among the Independents are Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).

Taking on Dushyant from Uchana is Congress' Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh.

A few rebels from both Congress and BJP have also entered the fray. In 2019, the BJP formed the government with the support of JJP while most Independents also extended support.

However, the JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended in March after the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as the chief minister.

Trends show Cong ahead in Haryana; Nayab Saini, Hooda leading on their seats

Chandigarh | Counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday, with early trends showing the Congress slightly ahead of the ruling BJP.

While some reports from the counting of postal ballots showed the Congress ahead on 26 seats and the BJP 21.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini was leading from his Ladwa seta in Kurukshetra district, while Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda was ahead of his rivals in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements were in place at counting venues.

He said a day earlier that postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) beginning 30 minutes later.

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term.

The key parties and alliances in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats will see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in a single phase on October 5.

Early trends show Cong ahead in Haryana; tight contest in J-K

New Delhi | Early trends from counting of votes on Tuesday showed the Congress ahead in Haryana, and in a tight contest with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Congress was ahead on 24 seats, and the BJP on 19 in Haryana, with early postal ballot trends showing two seats in favour of 'others'.

In Jammu and Kashmir the Congress-National Conference alliance was tied at eight seats with the BJP, while the PDP was yet to lead in any seat, according to TV channels.

The counting of votes began at 8 am with postal ballots being opened first. The counting of votes polled through EVMs will start half an hour later.

These are early trends and the final results may vary widely.

Counting of votes begins in Haryana

Chandigarh | The counting of votes polled in the October 5 assembly elections in Haryana began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight security arrangements.

Officials said early trends were expected at some time.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said three-tier security arrangements were in place at counting venues, Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) after 30 minutes, he said.

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent. However, the BJP has claimed it will return to power for a third consecutive term in Haryana.

The key parties in the fray are the BJP, the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats will see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in a single phase on October 5.

Agarwal on Monday said 93 counting centres were set up for 90 assembly constituencies in 22 districts of the state.

Two counting centres each have been set up for the Badshahpur, Gurugram, and Pataudi assembly constituencies, while one counting centre each has been established for the remaining 87 assembly constituencies, where the counting began.

To monitor the counting process, 90 observers also have been appointed by the Election Commission of India.

Director General of Haryana Police Shatrujeet Kapur said comprehensive security arrangements were in place for the counting.

He said that a sufficient number of police officers were deployed at every counting centre.

CCTV cameras have been installed from the main gate to the entire premises of the counting centres, ensuring surveillance of every activity, Kapur said.

Male and female police officers have been deployed for frisking individuals entering the premises and Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are on standby to maintain law and order, Kapur said.

Agarwal said a total of 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were deployed at 93 counting centres.

Around 12,000 police personnel are on duty at the counting centres across the state, he said.

Agarwal said instructions were given to closely monitor social media to prevent the spread of any rumours related to the counting process.

Prominent among those in the fray are Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini (Ladwa), Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD's Abhay Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), O.P. Dhankar (Badli), AAP's Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress leader Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

From the Tosham seat, former MP Shruti Choudhry of BJP and Anirudh Chaudhary, both cousins, are contesting.

From Kaithal, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala's son Aditya is contesting while from Dabwali, Devi Lal's grandson Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate, is taking on JJP's Digvijay Singh Chautala, great-grandson of the former deputy prime minister.

The BJP has fielded former chief minister late Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi from the Adampur segment of Hisar while its nominee from Ateli in Mahendragarh is Arti Rao, whose father Rao Inderjit Singh is a Union minister.

Among the Independents are Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).

Taking on Dushyant from Uchana is Congress' Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh.

A few rebels from both Congress and BJP have also entered the fray.

In 2019, the BJP formed the government with the support of JJP while most Independents also extended support.

However, JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended in March after the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as the chief minister.