NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH : In line with the demand of political parties and social organisations, the Election Commission on Saturday deferred the polling for the Haryana Assembly by four days.
Voting in the state will take place on October 5 instead of October 1 as announced by the poll panel last month. The counting will take place on October 8.
The EC received representations from the national as well as state parties and also from All India Bishnoi Mahasabha. A mass movement of people of the community is expected on the polling day to Rajasthan to participate in the centuries-old Asoj Amavasya festival celebration during the same period.
Festivities may deny voting rights to many people and lead to a lower voter turnout. The commission has decided to change the date from October1 to October 5, said poll officials.
The EC poll body had announced the schedule for elections to the J&K and Haryana assemblies on August 16.
The BJP’s Haryana unit in its letter to the EC requested rescheduling of the polls citing holidays before and after the election date.
The BJP demand had triggered a controversy with the main opposition Congress alleging that the BJP was trying to delay the elections in the face of public anger to ouster the government.
In the 2019 assembly elections which were held on October 21, the turnout was a little over 68%. The BJP had a vote share of 36.5%, Congress 28.1%, JJP 14.8% and others 2.4%. In the 2014 elections, the turnout was 76.6%. The BJP had a vote share of 33.3%, Congress 20.7% and INLD 24.2%.