As the Election Commission of India on Friday (August 16) announced the date for the Haryana Assembly elections to be held on October 1, let's take a quick look at the political developments in the state during the 2019 elections, including who came to power and who played a backseat role.
Hung Assembly Verdict in 2019
The 2019 Haryana Assembly election resulted in a hung assembly, with no party securing a majority. The BJP won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly, where the majority mark is 46, while the Congress won 31 seats. However, Jat leader Dushyant Chautala's Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) emerged as a kingmaker, securing 10 seats. The JJP, which had broken away from the state's once-dominant regional party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), due to family disputes, played a crucial role in the post-election scenario.
Initially, after the election results, which resulted in a hung assembly, there were concerns about who would form the government. However, the BJP, in coalition with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala, staked their claim to form the government. On October 27, Manohar Lal Khattar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Haryana, with Dushyant Chautala taking the oath as Khattar's deputy.
BJP-JJP Alliance reaches breaking point in Haryana
While everything appeared to be going smoothly between the BJP and JJP in Haryana, their alliance hit a major breaking point in early 2024, leading to the collapse of the coalition.
The sudden political upheaval in the state prompted then-Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and all 13 members of the BJP-led council of ministers to submit their resignations. Following this, Nayab Singh Saini was sworn in as the new Chief Minister, with the support of 48 MLAs.
In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP holds 41 seats and also enjoys the backing of six out of the seven independent MLAs, as well as the lone Haryana Lokhit Party MLA, Gopal Kanda.
Haryana Assembly Elections 2024
Announcing the Assembly Election dates of Haryana, CEC Rajiv Kumar said, "Assembly Elections will be held in one phase; voting on October 1. Counting of votes will take place on October 4".
Jammu and Kashmir will also go to Assembly polls simultaneously, starting September 18th, September 25th, and October 1st. The results will be declared on the same date as of Haryana.
