“BJP will form govt for third time…public lost faith in Congress”: Former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar

New Delhi [India], August 16 (ANI): Following the announcement of the Haryana Assembly election, former Haryana Chief Minister and Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday asserted that the BJP will form the government for the third time in the state as the public has lost faith in Congress.

The Elections to the 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana will be held in a single phase on October 1 and the counting of votes will take place on October 4, Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar announced on Friday.

“I welcome the announcement and our workers were already preparing to contest the elections. And of course, just like the government has been formed at the Centre under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, in the same way, the BJP will form the government for the third time in Haryana. The public has lost faith in Congress and the people of Haryana will not trust them,” Khattar told reporters.

He further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would register its victory for the third time in Haryana.

“BJP will register its victory for the third time in Haryana… Bhupinder Singh Hooda did caste-based politics and the people of Haryana will think above caste-based politics. In 2014, we talked about ‘Haryana Ek Haryanvi Ek’ and talked about ending the 3Cs – crime, corruption and caste politics,” he added.

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the BJP will form the government in Haryana with a big mandate

“We are fully prepared. Our government has been working under the mission mode for the last 10 years and will continue to do so. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, we will form the government in Haryana with a big mandate,” Saini said.

Congress leader Chaudhary Birender Singh said that the people of Haryana are not in favour of the BJP.

“Congress is fully prepared (for elections). That too, because immediately after the Lok Sabha elections were over, the Congress party was aware that elections would be held in Haryana in October, so we started preparing. In 2019, the BJP won all 10 Lok Sabha seats and got a big margin of 58 per cent. But during the Vidhan Sabha elections, it was only around 40 per cent. They had a huge vote fall of almost 12 per cent. People are not in favour of the BJP,” Singh told ANI.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said that the Congress party is ready for the assembly elections.

“Only yesterday the PM talked about ‘One nation, one election’. Now what happened? They are doing elections only in two states. Their defeat is certain…We are ready for elections,” Khera said.

Haryana’s Sirsa Congress MP Kumari Selja said that Congress is ready and the people of Haryana are also ready.

“We are ready and the people of Haryana are also ready. We saw a sample of this in the Lok Sabha elections and the way the Haryana government is taking hasty decisions, it is clear that the Haryana government has accepted defeat…Haryana should have been ahead in the country but BJP has pushed it back. There is no talk of contesting elections with the Aam Aadmi Party. I think we do not need anyone and the Congress is capable on its own and we will form the government with a huge majority,” Selja said.

Congress MP Deepender Hooda congratulated the people of Haryana on the announcement of election dates.

“Finally the day has come which every Haryana resident was eagerly waiting for. Just like a farmer waits for the rain. The people of Haryana were waiting for the press conference of the Election Commission to know when they would get a chance to get rid of this BJP government. On this occasion, I want to congratulate the people of Haryana,” Hooda said.

While addressing the press conference in the national capital, the Chief Election Commissioner said that “Assembly Elections will be held in one phase; voting on October 1. Counting of votes will take place on October 4.”

Meanwhile, in Haryana, there are a total of 2.01 crore voters in Haryana, of which 1.06 crore are males, 0.95 crores are females, 4.52 lakhs are first-time voters and 40.95 lakhs are young voters.

“There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies in Haryana, of which 73 are general, SC-17 and ST-0. There will be a total of 2.01 crore voters in Haryana, of which 1.06 crore are males, 0.95 crore are females, 4.52 lakhs are first-time voters and 40.95 lakhs are young voters. The electoral roll of Haryana will be published on August 27, 2024,” the Chief Election Commissioner said.

The last day to file the nominations of Haryana will be September 12. The date of scrutiny of the nominations is September 13. The last date for the withdrawal of candidatures will be September 16.

Soon after the announcement of polls, BJP lead

er Anil Vij said, “It is a good thing that elections in Haryana will be held on October 1. Our party and workers are ready to contest the elections.”

The term of the current government in Haryana will end on November 3, 2024, and elections will take in 90 legislative assembly constituencies in the state.

After the 2019 elections, the BJP, with 40 seats in the 90-member assembly, formed a coalition government with the JJP. The JJP had won 10 seats, while the Congress had won 31 seats. The BJP-JJP alliance broke earlier this year.

In 2024, Haryana is likely to see a four-way contest between the BJP, the Congress, the JJP, and the AAP.