Haryana polls postponed to October 5 with votes to be counted on October 8 along with J&K

The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced the rescheduling of polling day for Haryana from October 1 to October 5, 2024.

While no changes have been made to the polling calendar in Jammu & Kashmir, the counting day for the assembly elections in both J&K and Haryana has been moved from October 4 to October 8, 2024.

The poll panel cited representations received from the All India Bishnoi Mahasabha in Rajasthan’s Bikaner for rescheduling the Haryana poll due to the Asoj Amavasya festival, a celebration in memory of their Guru Jambeshwar.

The move also comes days after a representative of the BJP and other parties in Haryana requested the poll commission to postpone the polls in Haryana by a week, citing a string of holidays around the original polling day of October 1.

They expressed concern that this could lead to lower voter turnout.

The ECI, however, said it was informed that numerous Bishnoi families from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana observed a long-standing tradition of visiting their native village Mukam in Rajasthan during Amavas “for their annual festival in Bikaner, which takes place on 2 October. , this year the poll commission adjusted the election dates as it has done in the past – in 2022 the Punjab assembly polls were postponed by a week to accommodate devotees traveling to Varanasi for Guru Ravidas Jayanti changed to 2022 for to observe the Sunday prayers of the Christian community as was done in the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections due to Devuthani Ekadashi which sees mass weddings in the state on the day of the UP assembly elections 2012, the polling date was changed due to Barawafat. Officials said the revised voting day would also address any concerns about a six-day holiday, taking a day off on September 30, 2024.

While the Haryana BJP welcomed the EC’s move, the state Congress and Aam Aadmi Party indicated doubts about the revision but said they were ready for the polls either way.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the poll postponement indicated BJP’s nervousness.