Haryana Assembly polls: 50 percent voters cast their votes till 4 pm

Chandigarh, Oct 21 (UNI) More than 50 per cent electorate cast their votes till 1600 hrs on Monday in Haryana to elect their representatives at 90 Assembly seats in the state.

Morning fog prevented the early voters from reaching their polling stations at 0700 hrs. However, voting gained momentum, as the day progressed.

Six people were injured when the BJP and Congress supporters pelted stones at each other in Nuh, Mewat.

To ensure the process goes on in a fair and peaceful manner, 75,000 security personnel have been mobilised for the polls. Besides, 130 companies of Central Para Military Forces, 26,896 policemen and 22,806 Home Guard jawans have been deployed.

A total of 1,169 candidates, including 105 women, are in the fray for the elections. As many as 1,83,90,525 electorate would exercise their franchise during the polls, including 85,12,231 women, 252 trans-genders and 1,07, 955 service voters, who would vote at 19578 polling stations.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar voted at the Rajkiya Kanya Vidyalaya in Prem Nagar of Karnal. Mr Khattar arrived at his polling booth on a bicycle. Besides, wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat also exercised their voting right.

Currently, the BJP has 48 MLAs in the 90-member House.

As many as 36 candidates are battling it out in Ambala district, while 58 nominees are from Jhajjar, 44 in Kurukshetra, 57 in Kaithal, 66 in Sirsa, 118 in Hisar, 46 in Yamunanagar, 45 in Mahendergarh, 27 in Charkhi Dadri, 41 in Rewari, 63 in jind, 24 in Panchkula, 50 in Fatehabad, 58 in Rohtak, 40 in Panipat, 35 in Mewat, 72 in Sonipat, 69 in Faridadbad, 71 in Bhiwani, 59 in Karnal, 54 in Gurgaon and 35 candidates are in fray in Palwal district.

Polling began peacefully at 0700 hrs and would continue till 1800 hrs, the Election Commission officials said.

The EC has set up 19,578 polling booths, including 13,837 in rural areas of the state.

The prominent candidates in the electoral fray include Mr Khattar, his cabinet colleagues Anil Vij, Ram Bilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu and O P Dhankad, wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Babita Phogat (all BJP), former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Kiran Choudhary, Kuldeep Bishnoi and his brother Chander Mohan and Randeep Singh Surjewala (Congress), Naina Chautala and her son Dushyant Chautala (JJP) and Abhay Singh Chautala (INLD).

Though the ruling BJP, Congress, INLD, JJP, BSP, AAP, Swaraj India and Loktantra Suraksha Party (LSP) have fielded its candidates but the main contest is between ruling BJP and Congress in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, several union ministers, BJP MPs Hema Malini, Sunny Deol and Manoj Tiwari campaigned for the BJP candidates while former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also sought votes for the Congress candidates in the state.

The main issues raised during the electioneering related to farmers, unemployment, drugs, scarcity of water, basic amenities, abrogation of Article 370, economic slowdown, nationalism and crimes against women.

Results will be announced on October 24.