Exit polls: It's har har BJP in Haryana

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar arrives on a bicycle with his supporters to cast vote during the assembly elections, in Karnal, on Monday. Pic/PTI

Chandigarh/New Delhi: The BJP appeared set to return to power with a bigger mandate in Haryana, as exit polls forecast a facile victory for the party in the state and rout for its rivals led by the Congress. Exit polls, broadcast soon after the polling ended, varied widely in their projection of seats for the rival alliances but an emphatic victory with more than two-third seats for the BJP-led NDA in Haryana was the common theme.

The ABP-C Voter predicted 204 seats for the BJP-Shiv Sena and 69 for the Congress-NCP. In Haryana, the extent of a BJP win was projected to be even more dominant. The ABP-C Voter forecast 72 for BJP and and eight seats for Congress. The CNN-IPSOS projected 75 and 10 seats for the two parties, respectively. The Times Now survey gave the BJP and the Congress 71 and 11 seats, respectively. The poll of polls brought out by the NDA gave the BJP and the Congress 66 and 14 seats respectively in Haryana.

A volunteer takes a differently abled person to a polling booth in Sonepat on Monday. Pic/PTI

The BJP had brought the issue of Article 370 nullification and national security at the centre of its campaign. In 2014, the BJP had won 47 seats in Haryana followed by INLD's 19 and 15 of the Congress. BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said exit polls result shows voters' tribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance and leadership while Congress's Pranav Jha debunked it as a "speculative tool" that has often been off the mark.

Meanwhile, the EC announced on Monday a turnout of 65 per cent for 90 constituencies. The polling that began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm was largely peaceful, barring a violent incident in Nuh, officials said. The EC said 65 per cent of the registered voters exercised their franchise by 6 pm, when polling closed. However, people who entered the polling booths before the closing time, would be allowed to cast their vote, officials said.

Elderly voters after casting their votes in Sonepat. Pic/PTI

In the 2014 assembly elections, 76.54 per cent voters in Haryana had exercised their franchise. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the voting percentage was 70.36. The EC said 1,169 candidates, including 105 women, contested the elections. The BJP, led by Chief Minister M L Khattar, is aiming at retaining power in Haryana and had set a target of winning 75 seats.

'Confident of victory'
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said the BJP will retain power and form the government in Haryana. "BJP is going to form the government in Haryana. We are confident that people will continue to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his philosophy and his policies," he said.

'Bogus voting'
Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala levelled allegation of "bogus voting" in connivance with a police official at a booth in Dumerkha Kalan village of the Uchana Kalan constituency. Chautala, 31, a former MP from Hisar, is in fray from Uchana Kalan and contesting against sitting BJP MLA Prem Lata, who is the wife of former Union minister Birender Singh. A district poll official said they would examine the complaint given by Chautala.

BJP nominee hints at EVM tampering by saffron party?

Taking a dig at the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday described the BJP's candidate from Haryana's Assandh as the "most honest man" in the ruling party after a video went viral in which he is purportedly heard saying no matter which button is pressed on the EVM, the vote would go to the BJP.

Gandhi posted the video in which sitting MLA Bakshish Singh Virk purportedly makes the remarks. Virk has dubbed it as a "fake video" and alleged that it was a conspiracy by his opponents to defame him and BJP. After the video went viral, the EC on Sunday issued a show-cause notice to Virk and appointed a special observer to the constituency to take "corrective action".

"I respect the EC. It is a fake video and has been doctored," Virk said. In the video, Virk also purportedly tells a small gathering of his supporters, "We will come to know who has voted for whom, there should be no misconception about this..." Virk, however, claimed that he never said anything about EVMs.

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