The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday deferred the polling dates in Haryana from October 1 to October 5, citing demands from political parties and a social outfit, a move that intensified political jostling in the state as the Opposition questioned the neutrality of EC and took shots at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was the first to seek a change in the polling date.
The panel said it took the decision to change the Haryana polling date to honour both the voting rights and traditions of the Bishnoi community. (AFP)
In an official order, EC also announced that the counting of votes for Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir elections will now take place on October 8, instead of the earlier October 4. The panel said it took the decision to change the Haryana polling date to honour both the voting rights and traditions of the Bishnoi community, which has upheld a centuries-old practice of attending a festival in Rajasthan’s Bikaner in memory of Guru Jambheshwar, the founder of the Bishnoi Panth. This year, the festival will take place on October 2 .
“Representations have been received from National Political Parties, State Political Party and All India Bishnoi Mahasabha regarding the mass movement of people of the Bishnoi community of Haryana to Rajasthan to participate in centuries-old Asoj Amavasya festival celebration. It may deny voting rights to a large number of people and may…. reduce voters’ participation in general election to the legislative assembly of Haryana,” the poll panel said in the order.
It added: “The Commission having considered these representations has decided to change the date of poll only for Haryana from 1st October 2024 to 5th October 2024.”
BJP’s state unit chief Mohan Lal Badoli wrote to EC on August 22, nearly a week after it announced the schedule for the elections in Haryana and J&K, seeking a change in the poll dates. He cited the weekend and holidays before and after the earlier polling date, which he said could lead to a lower voter turnout. The INLD and BSP later also made similar representations to the poll panel.
While the BJP welcomed the panel’s decision, the Opposition accused it of trying to gain more time in an attempt to improve its position in the poll arena as it questioned the EC’s reasoning behind changing the dates.
Senior AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said the poll panel was working at the behest of the BJP. “BJP has a hold over the Election Commission…After the Lok Sabha elections, BJP’s countdown has started, and it will lose every election,” he said in Delhi.
Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra said the poll panel’s move cast a shadow over whether the polls will be held without any bias. “…Did the Election Commission not know at the time [of announcing the schedule] that there was a festival? They announce the final date after considering everything. They are making the elections suspicious,” he said.
Poll panel officials, however, maintained that they have taken similar decisions in the past to respect the cultural sentiments of different communities.
“In the past also, the Commission has adjusted election dates to respect the sentiments of various communities. During the 2022 Punjab assembly elections, the Commission postponed the polls by a week to accommodate devotees travelling to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Similarly, in Manipur during the 2022 assembly elections, the Commission changed the polling dates, taking into considerations the Sunday prayers in churches,” an EC official said on condition of anonymity.
Nishant Kumar Yadav, the Gurugram district election officer, said the panel took the call with the intention of ensuring maximum voter turnout.
“The decision to reschedule the polling date for the Haryana Legislative Assembly elections was made with the objective of ensuring maximum voter participation. We recognised the significance of the Asoj Amavasya festival for the Bishnoi community and the impact it could have on voter turnout,” he said.
Former Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda targeted the BJP for seeking a change in dates, saying that it has already accepted defeat and was trying different tactics to delay the electoral setback.
“They [BJP] have already accepted defeat in Haryana. When the Haryana government wrote a letter to the Election Commission, I had said at that time that the BJP had accepted defeat,” he said.
Former BJP ally and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala said the change in dates won’t improve the BJP’s prospects in the upcoming polls.
”This clearly shows that the BJP is adopting all these tactics to avoid its defeat. Changing the date will do nothing because people have made up their minds to defeat them,” Chautala, who served as the deputy chief minister in the BJP-led coalition government till earlier this year, said.
The BJP rejected the Opposition’s charges and thanked the EC for listening to its demand.
“We are thankful to the Election Commission, they took action on our application and changed the dates. We contended that on the earlier [election] dates, people would have got five holidays and there would have been chances people go for holidays or urgent work and this could have led to a decrease in the vote percentage…Congress keeps saying things without any reason,” senior party leader Anil Vij said.
INLD leader and MLA Abhay Singh Chautala also welcomed the EC decision: “I thank the Election Commission. Because it was a long holiday… many people could have gone out during this time, due to which 10 to 20 per cent of voters could have been deprived of voting…”
The Haryana polls will be held months after the ruling BJP, which has been in power in the state since 2014, and Congress won five Lok Sabha seats each. This was the first time in a decade that the BJP didn’t sweep the state.
In 2019, the BJP won 40 of the 90 seats and formed the government in alliance with the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which won 10. The Congress won 31 seats. But earlier this year, the ruling coalition collapsed after the JJP abruptly withdrew support, prompting the BJP to change its chief minister from Manohar Lal Khattar to Nayab Singh Saini. The elections are likely to be fought on a host of issues ranging from anti-incumbency against the BJP government to discontent around the government’s short-service armed services recruitment scheme, Agnipath. Protests by India’s top wrestlers against sexual harassment and caste fault lines are likely to be other issues.
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