The tenure of the present Haryana Vidhan Sabha ends on November 3. (File)
Chandigarh:
The Haryana unit of the ruling BJP has written to the Election Fee requesting a short postponement of the meeting ballot slated for October 1, citing holidays earlier than and after the election date that might result in a decrease voter turnout.
Whereas the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP) slammed the BJP, claiming that the ruling get together was panicking because it may sense defeat, Abhay Chautala’s INLD too sought the deferment of polls.
A Haryana BJP chief on Saturday stated the letter was despatched by the get together’s state unit chief Mohan Lal Badoli to the ballot panel.
Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal confirmed that the fee obtained a replica of the communication on Friday over electronic mail.
“We have now obtained the communication from state BJP and forwarded it to the Election Fee,” Agarwal informed PTI.
Varinder Garg, a member of the BJP’s state election administration committee, stated, “We have now reasoned that the Meeting election date of October 1 (Tuesday) is preceded by a weekend and adopted by extra holidays which could hit the voting proportion as folks are inclined to go on trip on lengthy weekends.” Varinder Garg stated September 28-29 are Saturday and Sunday whereas October 1 is a ballot vacation. It’s adopted by extra holidays as Gandhi Jayanti falls on October 2 and Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti on October 3, he stated.
“We have now written to the Election Fee on this regard. For a greater turnout, any new date as soon as the string of holidays is over ought to be superb,” Varinder Garg informed PTI over the telephone.
By taking a day’s go away on September 30, folks can have six holidays. Resulting from this lengthy weekend, there’s a robust chance that a number of households would possibly go on a trip and provides voting a miss, Mohan Lal Badoli stated in his letter to the EC.
If it occurs, the voting proportion would cut back drastically, he added.
Mohan Lal Badoli additionally stated that on ‘Asoj Amavasya’ on October 2, a number of members of the Bishnoi neighborhood of Haryana will go away for Nokha tehsil of Bikaner in Rajasthan to take part in an annual honest held on the event.
This can also have an effect on the voting proportion, he additional stated.
Mohan Lal Badoli wrote that it has been the continual effort of the EC to make sure that the utmost variety of folks train their franchise to strengthen democracy.
Subsequently, it might be acceptable that the date mounted for voting for the Haryana Meeting election be modified. Whereas figuring out a recent date for the election, it ought to be made sure that there isn’t any vacation the earlier or the next day, he wrote.
We consider that if the EC does this, increasingly voters will be capable of take part within the election, he wrote.
Mohan Lal Badoli, in his letter, additionally talked about that previously the date of polling has been modified by the EC. For instance, the date declared for voting in Punjab Meeting elections — February 14, 2022 — was modified to February 20, 2022, on account of Sant Ravidas Jayanti on February 16.
In 2022, the then Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the BJP and its allies, and the BSP had urged the ballot panel to postpone the date of voting as lakhs of followers of Guru Ravidas journey to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to have fun the day.
Nonetheless, Congress chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda stated the BJP’s stand exhibits that it has already accepted defeat.
It has been greater than every week for the reason that Election Fee introduced the ballot date. The BJP desires the polls to be deferred because it has accepted defeat, Bhupinder Hooda, who’s Chief of the Opposition and former chief minister of Haryana, stated.
Polls ought to be held in line with the date mounted by the EC… Individuals of Haryana do not need to see the BJP authorities in energy even for a day, he stated.
Bhupinder Hooda’s son and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda whereas referring to Mohan Lal Badoli’s letter, stated, “It exhibits how scared the BJP is of the elections”.
The BJP is observing defeat and is subsequently developing with such infantile arguments. It has no points, work or achievements to point out to the folks and no candidates to distribute the tickets. Because of this the BJP is conspiring to postpone the elections by giving an excuse for holidays, Deepender Hooda stated in Hindi on X.
The voters of Haryana are conscious. They won’t go anyplace for a vacation, however will come to the polling sales space in massive numbers to vote out the BJP authorities, he added.
The AAP’s Haryana unit stated even earlier than the elections came about, the ruling BJP had began searching for excuses because it may sense its impending defeat within the election.
In a put up on X, the AAP stated if the BJP had accomplished work within the state, it might not have been in search of postponement of polls. This time the BJP’s defeat is for certain, it stated.
In the meantime, Indian Nationwide Lok Dal’s (INLD) Chautala stated the polling date ought to be postponed by one or two weeks.
Since folks often go on holidays on lengthy weekends, it can adversely have an effect on the voting proportion which is prone to lower by 15 to twenty per cent, Chautala stated.
The EC on August 16 introduced that meeting polls in Haryana could be held in a single part on October 1 and the outcomes could be declared on October 4.
The BJP is eyeing a 3rd consecutive time period whereas the Congress is seeking to wrest energy from the ruling outfit.
The tenure of the present Haryana Vidhan Sabha ends on November 3.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)