CHANDIGARH: Congress today appeared set to retain power in Haryana with the party winning two seats and leading in over 40 constituencies, according to trends available for 88 of the total 90 seats in the state.
Om Prakash Chautala's INLD, which fared badly in the Lok Sabha elections, was leading in 20 constituencies.
Congress' Savitri Jindal, mother of industrialist and Lok Sabha MP Navin Jindal, retained the Hisar assembly seat by a margin of 14,728 votes.
Venod Sharma (Congress) retained the Ambala City seat with a margin of 35,550 votes by trouncing his nearest rival Charanjeet Kaur of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).
The nominees of HJC-BL, BJP and BSP were leading in two seats each and SAD in one constituency. In the remaining 11 constituencies independents were ahead.
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was leading over Satish Kumar (INLD) from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi.
Chautala had a narrow lead of around 1,200 votes from Uchana Kalan over Finance Minister Birendra Singh. The INLD Chief, however, was trailing at Ellenabad behind Bharat Singh Beniwal (Congress).
Chautala's son Ajay was trailing behind his cousin K V Singh from Dabwali constituency while his younger brother Ranjit Singh contesting as a Congress nominee was trailing behind Krishan Lal (INLD) from Rania.
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj (INLD) was trailing behind D K Bansal (Congress) from Panchkula while HJC-BL President Kuldeep Bishnoi was ahead over Krishan Gopal Tyagi (INLD) from Adampur.