Haryana Election Results: BJP to form govt for third time in a row, PM Modi thanks people of state

The results of recently-held assembly elections in Haryana were declared on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party made a hat-trick and created electoral history in the state by winning 48 out of 90 seats. The majority mark for the 90-member assembly is 46. 

A look at party-wise results:

BJP: 48
Congress: 37
INLD: 02
Independent: 03

Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Batra won Haryana's Rohtak seat with a margin of 1,341 votes. He received 59,419 votes by defeating BJP's Manish Kumar Grover in the Haryana Assembly Elections. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has congratulated BJP workers on the party's complete majority in the Haryana Assembly elections. He stated that this victory is a testament to the faith of the people of Haryana in the power of the double-engine BJP government. "Heartiest congratulations to all the dedicated workers, officials and respected voters for the historic victory of @BJP4Haryana in the Haryana Legislative Assembly Elections-2024!" he stated. "This victory, dedicated to the accomplishment of the concept of 'Developed Haryana-Developed India', is a tribute to the public welfare policies of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, the efficient leadership of Honorable Chief Minister Shri @NayabSainiBJP ji and the power of the double engine of the BJP government. Congratulations to all the people of Haryana for giving them the privilege of serving BJP again, imbued with the spirit of Nation First! CM Yogi added.

The BJP's victory hat-trick in Haryana shows the people have defeated the Opposition's narratives on various issues and exposed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's politics of drama, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. He also said the BJP and the Union government have strongly responded to Pakistan's propaganda in the Jammu and Kashmir elections. The BJP returned to power in Haryana for the third consecutive term with an absolute majority in the 90-member assembly. The polling was held on October 5, and results were declared on Tuesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ghanshyam Saraf won the Bhiwani Assembly seat on Tuesday by a margin of 32,714 votes. He defeated his nearest rival and Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate Om Prakash, according to the Election Commission. Saraf got a total of 67,087 votes, while Prakash received 34,373 votes. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Indu stood third with a total of 17,573 votes.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arti Singh Rao won the Ateli Assembly seat on Tuesday by a margin of 3,085 votes. She defeated her nearest rival and Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Attar Lal, according to the Election Commission. Singh got a total of 57,737 votes, while Lal received 54,652 votes. Congress candidate Anita Yadav stood third with a total of 30,037 votes.

BJP candidate Devender Chatar Bhuj Attri won the Uchana Kalan seat in Haryana by a margin of just 32 votes, as per the Election Commission. Attri defeated his nearest rival and Congress candidate and former IAS officer Brijendra Singh. Jannayak Janta Party leader Dushyant Chautala, who was the outgoing MLA from Uchana seat, was at the fifth spot. Attri polled 48,968 votes while Congress party's Singh, who is the son of former union minister Birender Singh, secured 48,936 votes. Chautala got 7,950 votes.

Outgoing Haryana Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta lost from Panchkula seat. He was defeated by Congress candidate Chander Mohan in the elections.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister Anil Vij won the Ambala Cantt assembly seat on Tuesday by a margin of 7,277 votes. He defeated his nearest Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara, according to the Election Commission. Vij got a total of 59,858 votes, while Sarwara received 52,581 votes. Congress candidate Parvinder Pal Pari stood third with a total of 14,469 votes.

Congress MP Kumari Selja voiced her disappointment with the election results, stating, "Until the morning, we were hopeful. All our workers are upset, as they have worked tirelessly for the Congress party over the past 10 years. When faced with such a result, the disappointment is immense." She also stressed the need for the party to reassess its approach, identify the shortcomings, and determine who is responsible for the outcome.

Congress leader Kuldeep Vats defeated his nearest rival and BJP candidate Omprakash Dhankar by 16,820 votes, as per the Election Commission. Vats got 68,160 votes, while Dhankar received 51,340 votes.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said people have "put a stamp" on the government's policies under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also thanked the voters while speaking to reporters. "I give full credit to Modi ji. With his blessings, under his guidance, people of Haryana have put a stamp on the government's policies," Saini said.

Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala lost from the Ellenabad assembly seat in Haryana, according to the Election Commission. Chautala, the outgoing MLA, was defeated by Congress candidate Bharat Singh Beniwal by a margin of 15,000 votes.

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.

Senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda won the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi Assembly seat, as per the Election Commission. He defeated the BJP leader and his rival Manju Hooda. 

The Election Commission on Tuesday told Congress leader Jairam Ramesh that there was nothing on record to substantiate his "ill-founded allegation" of slowdown in updating of Haryana poll results. The poll panel also dubbed his allegations as an attempt to "surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and uncorroborated mala fide narratives". Earlier in the day, the Congress had 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.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to lead in Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini expressed his gratitude to the people of the state. "I want to thank the people of Ladwa and the 2.80 crore population of Haryana. The credit for this victory goes to PM Modi. The people of Haryana have put a stamp on the policies of PM Modi," he added. 

"I will go to take the certificate and then offer prayers to Lord Krishna at Jyotisar temple. The 2.80 crore people of Haryana have chosen this government and we will move forward under the leadership of PM Modi," the CM added. 

The Chautala family has faced a big political setback in Haryana, with many key members losing the Assembly elections. Abhay Chautala, Dushyant Chautala, Sunaina Chautala, Ranjit Chautala, and Digvijay Chautala all suffered defeat. However, Abhay Chautala’s son, Arjun Chautala, won from the Rania constituency. 

Congress leader Aditya Surjewala held a roadshow in Kaithal after being declared winner from the Assembly constituency.

The trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that former state minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anil Vij, who was trailing behind Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara, took a lead over her by 6,706 votes.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao said, "BJP is definitely going to form government in Haryana for the third time. The way the party has done developmental work in the state, it is certain that BJP is going to form government again." 

BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, "I have been a (BJP) star campaigner for Haryana. Wherever I went, I witnessed the ground reality. We are not taking this as pride but the respect of people. We could see the blueprint of the results earlier itself. Now it has become clear that people are ready to walk with those who do work and are honest"

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, "Today is the day of results of two states, we are forming a strong government in Haryana. BJP is going to form a government based on its development and good governance. In Jammu and Kashmir, the number of voters in the assembly is somewhere around 40 thousand, 50 thousand, so the difference is less. Let the results come, BJP will perform well there too."

Congress candidate and former wrestler Vinesh Phogat won Julana seat in Haryana by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Yogesh Kumar with a margin of 6,015 votes.

BJP candidate Shruti Choudhry continued her lead over Congress' Anirudh Chaudhary in the Tosham constituency by a margin of 11,566 votes, after round 13/17 of counting, as per the latest EC data.

BJP candidate Vipul Goel is leading in the Faridabad Assembly constituency with over 30,000 votes. Earlier, Congress' Lakhan Singh Sangla was leading in early trends.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh continued his lead over Congress candidate Mewa Singh in the Ladwa Assembly constituency, by a margin of 13,189 votes, after round 12/16 of counting as per the latest EC data.

BJP candidate Dr Krishan Lal Middha won Haryana's Jind constituency by defeating Congress candidate Mahavir Gupta with a margin of 15,860 votes.

Congress candidate Aditya Surjewala continued his lead over BJP's Leela Ram in the Kaithal Assembly constituency, by a margin of 11035 votes, after round 11/16 of counting, as per the latest EC data.

As the vote counting by the Election Commission of India is still underway, ECI's website showed vote share till 1 pm.

Haryana Vote Share: Till 1 PM

• Congress: 40.14%
• BJP: 39.67%
• INLD: 4.47%
• AAP: 1.66%
• BSP: 1.65%
• JJP: 0.90%

Congress candidate Aftab Ahmed won Haryana's Nuh constituency by defeating Indian National Lok Dal's (INLD) Tahir Hussain with a margin of 46,963 votes.

As the trend of vote counting showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is set to retain power in Haryana, the BJP held a key meeting at the Union Minister and former CM Manohar Lal Khattar's residence to discuss the formation of the next government.

Congress leader Pargat Singh said, " In Haryana, 15 seats are such that the margin is lesser than 1000 and now 3-4 rounds are remaining to be counted. I still have confidence that Congress will form govt in Haryana and when it comes to Jammu and Kashmir, Congress must do even better."

In the ongoing counting of votes for the Rohtak seat, the Congress candidate has taken a lead of 3,636 votes by the seventh round. The contest is being closely watched, as Rohtak remains a key constituency in the state. As the counting progresses, all eyes are on the outcome to see if Congress can maintain its lead and secure the seat.

Kalanwali: Congress candidate Shishpal Keharwala has secured a significant victory in the Kalanwali constituency. Keharwala won by a margin of 22,712 votes, defeating his competitors and cementing the Congress party’s position in the region. 

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said, "BJP considers this the victory of the people, of development, of the able leadership of PM Modi, of humility. On the other hand, the arrogance of Congress   - they had already considered themselves triumphant...15 year-long government of BJP in Haryana is historic..."

Congress candidate and wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat bounced back as she took the lead after trailing for hours in the Julana constituency in the Jind district. Earlier, the trend showed that BJP's Yogesh Kumar was ahead of Phogat. 

Bharatiya Janata Party workers celebrated at the party office in Ambala, as they monitored the counting trends. As per the latest Election Commission data, BJP was leading on 49 of the 90 seats in the state.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, "When I came back from the Haryana election campaign I had told that BJP will have a grand victory in Haryana under the leadership of PM Modi, work for the welfare of every community is happening, the result of this was clearly visible in Haryana. Congress was boasting for no reason. BJP sought votes based on our work. Now Congress has gone to 3rd position and BJP is moving towards victory. No matter how much Congress tries to divide the country, their intentions won't get fulfilled."

The trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that former state minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anil Vij was trailing behind Independent candidate Chitra Sarwara by 671 votes.

The trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Independent candidates 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.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, "It's only a lead right now, I think for us to derive conclusion and come up with analysis is premature, both for good news in J&K, and not so good news in Haryana, but we will have to wait and see. I think it will take at least an hour, for some of these leads to be sorted out. In 8-9 seats, BJP is only leading by under 1,000 votes, so we should not make a premature conclusion right now. The wonderful thing about democracy is that the people decide, so after the votes are counted, let's talk about that.

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

Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed said,"Congress will win with a majority. BJP already knew it was losing in Kashmir and that is why the LG already nominated 5 (MLAs) yesterday."

JJP leader Dushyant Chautala is trailing from the Uchana Kalan assembly seat in Haryana, according to Election Commission of India trends. The former deputy chief minister of Haryana was at the fifth spot, the trends showed. Congress candidate Brijendra Singh was leading by a margin of 1,362 votes from his nearest rival and BJP candidate Devender Chatar Bhuj Attri.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that Independent candidate Savitri Jindal took a lead over Congress candidate Ram Niwas Rara, by a margin of 3836 votes, after round 1/12 of counting.

Vinesh Phogat, wrestler-turned-politician, who joined Congress ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections 2024, was trailing after making a lead for a brief period in the Julana constituency. 

Former Rajasthan chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot said, "Ultimate victory will be of Congress, Congress will form the government. This is the fight of ideology."

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and former minister Anil Vij was trailing after taking a lead for a brief period on the Ambala Cantt seat.

Former CM and Congress candidate Bhupinder Singh Hooda said, " As per the current trends, Congress is going to form the govt...the party will decide (CM face)...Congress will bring its own majority...credit goes to party, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, all party leaders and people of Haryana."

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said "I am confident that Congress will win around 65 assembly seats and form the government in Haryana. In Jammu and Kashmir, JKNC and Congress alliance will cross the majority mark and I am confident that those who are against BJP will also ally with the Congress-JKNC alliance. We are forming the government in J&K and Haryana."

In the Kalanwali constituency, Congress candidate Sheeshpal Keharwala leads the race with a significant margin of 6,299 votes. Keharwala has secured 13,341 votes so far. His closest rival, BJP’s Rajinder Desujoda, has garnered 7,042 votes, while Gurtaj from INLD has received 6,203 votes. The counting process continues as Keharwala maintains a clear lead over his competitors.

In the third round of counting for the Indri Assembly constituency in Karnal, BJP candidate Ramkumar Kashyap has secured 13,341 votes, while Congress candidate Rakesh Kamboj is close behind with 13,268 votes. The BJP currently holds a narrow lead of 73 votes.

Congress candidate Bharat Singh is leading by 3,622 votes over INLD’s Abhay Chautala.

Congress candidate Akram Khan is currently leading the race with 7,813 votes. BJP’s Kanwarpal Gujjar follows with 2,128 votes, while AAP candidate Adarshpal has garnered 2,179 votes. BSP’s Darshan Kheda has secured only 61 votes so far. With a margin of 5,685 votes, Akram Khan is maintaining a significant lead over his competitors.

Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was a kingmaker in the Haryana Assembly elections 2019, was trailing on all seats in the state. Chautala became deputy CM after lending support to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Vinesh Phogat, wrestler-turned-politician, who recently joined Congress was trailing after making a lead for a brief period in the Julana constituency. Her entry into politics just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 provided a window to the Bharatiya Janata Party to attack her.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 made a surprise turn as it showed that Bharatiya Janata Party made a bounceback and took a lead over 48 seats, which mean, the ruling may retain Haryana. Earlier, the trends manifested Congress' victory in the state.

Early trends drastically changed as BJP returned after trailing. The saffron party touched majority mark.

Former chief minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda was ahead of his rival Manju Hooda in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat in Rohtak district. Bhupinder Singh Hooda was leading with 7,263 voters over Manju Hooda who bagged 2,081.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala was leading from his Ellenabad constituency. The trends manifest that the Congress was ahead on 61 seats, while the BJP on 23.

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.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that JJP leader and former Deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala was trailing behind Congress candidate Brijendra Singh on the Uchana Kalan seat. Meanwhile, the early trends manifested Congress' landslide victory in Haryana.

BJP candidate from Badli, Om Prakash Dhankar said, "We are awaiting final results. It will be clear in the afternoon that we are forming the government. Everyone makes claims but results will tell us whose claims are true." 

Union Minister Chirag Paswan said, "The BJP has worked hard in Jammu-Kashmir and Haryana and the public trusts BJP and PM Modi. I am hopeful that the results of the assembly elections will be in our favour."

Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda took the lead in Haryana's Garhi Sampla-Kiloi. Hooda is the leading candidate for the chief minister post in Congress. He is likely to take oath for the CM post for the third time.

Haryana Lokhit Party Gopal Kanda took the lead after trailing for a brief period in the early trend of counting. In the Sirsa Assembly constituency, the poll battle was between Haryana Lokhit Party Gopal Kanda and Congress candidate Gokul Setia. Kanda enjoyed the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Congress is set to return with a landslide victory over the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the grand old party is leading on 71 seats, BJP on 15 and others on 4. The win for Congress means the grand old party succeeded in ending the 10-year-long drought in the state.

Congress candidate Jagbir Singh Malik was leading in the Gohana constituency. The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress is set to register a landslide victory, ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party from power in the state. The grand old party took a lead on 72 seats, while BJP on 15. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and BJP in the state.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gian Chand Gupta was leading in Haryana's Panchkula. The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress took a lead on 69 seats, while BJP on 13, which means the grand old party ended a 10-year-long drought in Haryana.

BJP leader Shruti Choudhary was leading in Haryana's Tosham. The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress took a lead on 67 seats, while BJP on 12. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats in Haryana.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that Congress crosses the majority mark which means the grand old party is set to return to power after ten years. Congress took a lead on 55 seats, while BJP on 10. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that BJP candidate Pramod Kumar Vij was leading in Haryana's Panipat City. The Congress took a lead on 45 seats, while BJP on 9. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats.

Congress candidate Kuldip Sharma is leading in Haryana's Ganaur. The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress is ahead on 37 seats, while BJP on 6. The gap between the two rivals showed that Congress is likely to get a majority in Haryana.

Congress candidate Balbir Singh Balmiki is leading in Haryana's Israna. The early trend of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress took a lead on 35 seats, while BJP on 5. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats.

The early trends of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress took a lead on 33 seats, while BJP on 4. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats.

Vinesh Phogat, wrestler-turned-politician, who recently joined Congress is leading in Julana. Her entry into politics just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Election Commission of India (ECI)'s website showed that Haryana Lokhit Party Gopal Kanda was trailing in the early trends of counting. In the Sirsa Assembly constituency, the poll battle was between Haryana Lokhit Party Gopal Kanda and Congress candidate Gokul Setia.  

The early trend of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that Congress candidate Pearl Choudhary was leading in Haryana's Pataudi. The Election Commission of India began counting of votes on Tuesday morning amid tight security at the counter centres.

The early trend of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed Congress candidate Aftab Ahmed was leading on the Nuh seat. Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party are the main parties in the state.

The early trend of votes counting for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024 showed that the Congress took a lead on 9 seats, while BJP on 2. There was a direct poll battle between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party on the most of seats.

According to the early trend of counting of votes, Congress candidate Dharam Singh Chhoker is leading in Samalkha.

The Election Commission of India began the counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly Election 2024 amid tight security. The poll body will soon display the first trend of counting. Haryana witnessed a direct fight between the BJP and Congress on most of the seats.

The counting of votes will begin shortly amid tight security in Haryana. The authorities deployed local police, CISF jawans and paramilitary personnel at the counting centres to avoid any kind of untoward incident.

Ahead of the counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024, Himadri Kaushik, DCP Panchkula said, "We have two counting centres here, Kalka and Panchkula, Police forces are ready and we have made all the preparations. We are ready to tackle any situation. CISF, paramilitary, district police all are present right now."

Ahead of the counting of votes for the Haryana Assembly elections 2024, Virender Ghogharian, an Independent candidate from the Uchana Kalan Assembly constituency said, "I have received enough love and support. I am sure that I will go to Assembly."

Haryana Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Ladwa assembly constituency Nayab Singh Saini arrives at Saini Samaj Dharamshala in Kurukshetra.

Haryana Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Ladwa assembly constituency Nayab Singh Saini said, "Today is the day of counting and I am confident that as a result of the works done by the BJP government in the past ten years, we will be forming the government in Haryana for the third time. Our government will continue to serve the people of Haryana. Congress works for power, BJP works for service..."

Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania) and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt) are among the top Independent candidates.

Union Minister Inderjit Singh's daughter Arti Rao is in the fray from the Ateli constituency. 

The BJP fielded former chief minister late Bhajan Lal's grandson Bhavya Bishnoi from the Adampur segment of Hisar.

Ahead of the counting of votes, Congress workers gathered outside the party headquarters in Delhi. They raised slogans in support of the party.

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.

Former MP Shruti Choudhry of BJP and Anirudh Chaudhary, both cousins, are contesting from Tosham seat.

Prominent among those in the fray are - Chief Minister Saini (Ladwa), Leader of Opposition 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' Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

BJP candidate from Panchkula, Gian Chand Gupta said, "We have the blessings of Mata Mansa Devi and I am fully confident that the results will be very good and I will win the Panchkula seat. Every party claims to be winning but as per the inputs that we are getting, BJP is going to form the government for the third time. As far as exit polls are concerned, even in Chhattisgarh the polls were adverse and showed Congress forming the government. But BJP formed the government there. Here too, BJP will 'bloom' the 'Lotus' for the third time."

Congress leader and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a frontrunner for the chief minister's post if his party wins, exuded confidence of a comfortable majority.

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

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, whose party contested Haryana elections on its own, claimed that no government in Haryana can be formed without the support of his his party.

Several exit polls have predicted a Congress victory in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67. 90 per cent. However, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini rejected the prediction, claiming his party BJP will form the government for a third time with full majority.

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

The elections in Haryana are the first major direct contest between the BJP and the Congress following the Lok Sabha polls. The result in the state would be used by the winner to build a narrative in their favour in other states - Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi where polls are due over the next few months.

Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said a three-tier security arrangements have been made at counting venues today.

Officials said all preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process which begins at 8 am today.

Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath as the counting day approaches today in Haryana, with the ruling BJP confident of retaining power for a third term, and the Congress, which is out of power for 10 years, more than hopeful of making a comeback when results are announced on Tuesday.