After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday.

BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting.

The meeting comes in view of Haryana polls where BJP has <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/neck-to-neck-battle-for-bjp-and-congress-in-haryana-polls-may-lead-to-hung-assembly-257933">fallen short of seats</a> to form the government.

The leaders, along with Nadda, reached Shah's residence at 1 am and left at 2:10 am.

Few hours before this, Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa assembly constituency in Haryana, was seen leaving Nadda's residence.

Kanda's brother Gobind Kanda had said that Haryana Lokhit Party is in touch with five more MLAs, who will extend their "unconditional support" to the ruling party.

It is to be noted that Kanda's party has secured one seat in the Haryana polls and the BJP has won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly and needs the support of six MLAs to cross the half-way mark to retain power in the state.

After Nadda and Kanda's meeting, BJP MP Sunita Duggal said that she has informed the party leadership about the willingness of other leaders to join BJP.

"I informed our senior leaders about the independent candidates and leaders from other parties, who are willing to extend their unconditional support to us. They are in contact with them," she said.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, after meeting their supporters, Gopal Kanda, Ranjit Singh, also an MLA, along with BJP MP from Sirsa, Sunita Duggal, left for the national capital from the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Haryana.

After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday. BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting.

After meeting Haryana leaders, BJP working president JP Nadda met the party's president Amit Shah at his residence here during the wee hours of Friday. BJP's Haryana in-charge and party General Secretary Anil Jain and party's new Organising Secretary BL Santosh were also present in the meeting. The meeting comes in view of Haryana polls where BJP has fallen short of seats to form the government. The leaders, along with Nadda, reached Shah's residence at 1 am and left at 2:10 am. Few hours before this, Lokhit Party leader Gopal Kanda, the winning candidate from Sirsa assembly constituency in Haryana, was seen leaving Nadda's residence. Kanda's brother Gobind Kanda had said that Haryana Lokhit Party is in touch with five more MLAs, who will extend their "unconditional support" to the ruling party. It is to be noted that Kanda's party has secured one seat in the Haryana polls and the BJP has won 40 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly and needs the support of six MLAs to cross the half-way mark to retain power in the state. After Nadda and Kanda's meeting, BJP MP Sunita Duggal said that she has informed the party leadership about the willingness of other leaders to join BJP. "I informed our senior leaders about the independent candidates and leaders from other parties, who are willing to extend their unconditional support to us. They are in contact with them," she said. On Wednesday, after meeting their supporters, Gopal Kanda, Ranjit Singh, also an MLA, along with BJP MP from Sirsa, Sunita Duggal, left for the national capital from the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Haryana.

JP Nadda meets Amit Shah as Haryana gets hung assembly

Assembly elections results of Haryana & Maharashtra has thrown a surprise for BJP. The contest in Maharashtra was for 288 seats. BJP gets 104 seats in this election in comparison to 2014 assembly elections that was 122. This was a dip of about 18 seats. Shiv Sena also loses 7 seats in comparison to 2014 elections. There as Congress and NCP has managed to gains some of the seats in Maharashtra in comparison to 2014 elections. Watch this video to know more. #AssemblyElection2019 #MaharashtraAssemblyElection2019 #HaryanaAssemblyElection2019

Assembly elections results of Haryana & Maharashtra has thrown a surprise for BJP

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. This, despite the fact that the party managed to increase its vote share over its 2014 performance.

The BJP won 40 of the 90 constituencies in the Haryana Assembly, which means it is six seats short of the simple majority needed to form a government on its own. It scored 36.45 per cent of the votes, which was an increase of 3.25 percentage points over its 2014 performance of 33.2 per cent, which had give it 47 seats in the Assembly.

However, the sticking point that led most observers to expect a massive electoral sweep for the BJP in the 2019 Assembly election was the fact that the party had received a mind-boggling 58 per cent of the votes. This was an extremely steep increase from the 34.84 per cent the party had scored in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

However, this very real Modi wave doesn't seem to have translated to the Assembly elections for the BJP.

The Congress managed to hold on to its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and notched an increase of eight percentage points over its score in the 2014 Assembly elections. This gave the party victories in 31 seats, up from 15 seats in 2014.

But, if the BJP's vote share increased and the Congress's vote share increased, where did these votes come from? The likely answer to that is that they came from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which crashed from an inelastic and steady vote share between 22 and 24 percentage points over the past few elections to a mere 2.45 per cent.

The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which broke away from the INLD in a family feud, seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of the INLD's decimation. The fledgeling party managed to score victories in 10 seats. The JJP's vote share was not presented separately by the Election Commission of India since it is not yet recognised. Whether the votes that abandoned the INLD vote shifted in totality to the JJP remains to be seen.

Simply put, this many not exactly have been a vote against the government of ML Khattar. It is just that vote bloc migrations as a result of the collapse of the INLD put in place a situation where the increases in vote share just didn't convert into seats for the BJP. Only one thing is certain, there was a massive Modi wave in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and the Prime Minister's popularity need not necessarily translate to victories for the Chief Ministers he put in place over the past five years. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-haryana-election-result-shows-pm-modi-s-popularity-does-not-automatically-assure-bjp-victory-2798544">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar.

Haryana voted en masse for the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha election and gave Narendra Modi all 10 Lok Sabha seats. But that's just that. The BJP found itself unable to convert the widespread support for the Prime Minister into a mandate for its government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. This, despite the fact that the party managed to increase its vote share over its 2014 performance. The BJP won 40 of the 90 constituencies in the Haryana Assembly, which means it is six seats short of the simple majority needed to form a government on its own. It scored 36.45 per cent of the votes, which was an increase of 3.25 percentage points over its 2014 performance of 33.2 per cent, which had give it 47 seats in the Assembly. However, the sticking point that led most observers to expect a massive electoral sweep for the BJP in the 2019 Assembly election was the fact that the party had received a mind-boggling 58 per cent of the votes. This was an extremely steep increase from the 34.84 per cent the party had scored in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, this very real Modi wave doesn't seem to have translated to the Assembly elections for the BJP. The Congress managed to hold on to its vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and notched an increase of eight percentage points over its score in the 2014 Assembly elections. This gave the party victories in 31 seats, up from 15 seats in 2014. But, if the BJP's vote share increased and the Congress's vote share increased, where did these votes come from? The likely answer to that is that they came from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which crashed from an inelastic and steady vote share between 22 and 24 percentage points over the past few elections to a mere 2.45 per cent. The Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), which broke away from the INLD in a family feud, seemed to be the biggest beneficiary of the INLD's decimation. The fledgeling party managed to score victories in 10 seats. The JJP's vote share was not presented separately by the Election Commission of India since it is not yet recognised. Whether the votes that abandoned the INLD vote shifted in totality to the JJP remains to be seen. Simply put, this many not exactly have been a vote against the government of ML Khattar. It is just that vote bloc migrations as a result of the collapse of the INLD put in place a situation where the increases in vote share just didn't convert into seats for the BJP. Only one thing is certain, there was a massive Modi wave in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and the Prime Minister's popularity need not necessarily translate to victories for the Chief Ministers he put in place over the past five years. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Haryana election result shows PM Modi's popularity does not automatically assure BJP victory

The European Union looked set on Friday to delay a decision on Britain's request for a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-pm-boris-johnson-sends-unsigned-letter-seeking-brexit-delay-256989">Brexit extension</a> to give time for Britain's parliament to decide on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for an election.

"I'd be surprised if we land today," said an EU official before ambassadors to the 27 other EU member states went into a meeting to discuss postponing Britain's departure from the bloc, less than a week before the current deadline of October&nbsp;31.

Separately, a senior EU official said the 27 may agree in principle to a delay but set no new date until after parliament's vote on Monday on whether to have a snap election on December&nbsp;12.

Johnson admitted on Thursday that he would not meet his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/johnson-adamant-on-brexit-deadline-despite-delay-request-257170">"do or die" deadline</a> of October&nbsp;31 and demanded a pre-Christmas poll to end what he cast as the "nightmare" of the Brexit crisis.

EU envoys to Brussels were due to discuss the length of a third delay to Brexit on Friday, though officials said they would be reluctant to set a date because it could dictate the direction of political events in London.

According to a draft decision by the 27, which was seen by Reuters on Thursday evening, a delay would be granted "with the view to allowing for the finalisation of the ratification" of the divorce agreement sealed with Johnson last week.

The draft text left the new Brexit date blank, but said the split could take place earlier if ratification was completed earlier - an idea known as "flextension", an amalgamation of the words "flexible" and "extension".

An EU official explained: "It's basically between a three-month flextension or a two-tier one."

Under the first idea, Britain would leave on Jan. 31, three months after the current departure date, but earlier if it and the EU raify an agreement before that. The second one would include a second specific date when Britain could leave.

Johnson won the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party to become prime minister in a minority government by staking his career on getting Brexit done by October&nbsp;31, but after parliament rejected his proposed legislative timetable on Tuesday he will fail to do that.

Brexit was initially supposed to have taken place on March 29 but Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, was forced to delay twice as parliament defeated her Brexit deal by margins of between 58 and 230 votes earlier this year. Her failure cost May her job.

Johnson said in a letter to opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday he would give parliament more time to approve his Brexit deal by Nov. 6 but lawmakers must on Monday back a December election, Johnson's third attempt to try to force a snap vote.

"Prolonging this paralysis into 2020 would have dangerous consequences," he said. "If I win a majority in this election, we will then ratify the great new deal that I have negotiated, get Brexit done in January and the country will move on."

Corbyn said he would wait to see what the EU decides on a Brexit delay before deciding which way to vote on Monday, repeating that he could only back an election when the risk of Johnson taking Britain out of the EU without a deal to smooth the transition was off the table.

It is not clear how Corbyn would respond if the EU makes no decision on a date on Friday.

The European Union looked set on Friday to delay a decision on Britain's request for a Brexit extension to give time for Britain's parliament to decide on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for an election.

The European Union looked set on Friday to delay a decision on Britain's request for a Brexit extension to give time for Britain's parliament to decide on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call for an election. "I'd be surprised if we land today," said an EU official before ambassadors to the 27 other EU member states went into a meeting to discuss postponing Britain's departure from the bloc, less than a week before the current deadline of October 31. Separately, a senior EU official said the 27 may agree in principle to a delay but set no new date until after parliament's vote on Monday on whether to have a snap election on December 12. Johnson admitted on Thursday that he would not meet his "do or die" deadline of October 31 and demanded a pre-Christmas poll to end what he cast as the "nightmare" of the Brexit crisis. EU envoys to Brussels were due to discuss the length of a third delay to Brexit on Friday, though officials said they would be reluctant to set a date because it could dictate the direction of political events in London. According to a draft decision by the 27, which was seen by Reuters on Thursday evening, a delay would be granted "with the view to allowing for the finalisation of the ratification" of the divorce agreement sealed with Johnson last week. The draft text left the new Brexit date blank, but said the split could take place earlier if ratification was completed earlier - an idea known as "flextension", an amalgamation of the words "flexible" and "extension". An EU official explained: "It's basically between a three-month flextension or a two-tier one." Under the first idea, Britain would leave on Jan. 31, three months after the current departure date, but earlier if it and the EU raify an agreement before that. The second one would include a second specific date when Britain could leave. Johnson won the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party to become prime minister in a minority government by staking his career on getting Brexit done by October 31, but after parliament rejected his proposed legislative timetable on Tuesday he will fail to do that. Brexit was initially supposed to have taken place on March 29 but Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, was forced to delay twice as parliament defeated her Brexit deal by margins of between 58 and 230 votes earlier this year. Her failure cost May her job. Johnson said in a letter to opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday he would give parliament more time to approve his Brexit deal by Nov. 6 but lawmakers must on Monday back a December election, Johnson's third attempt to try to force a snap vote. "Prolonging this paralysis into 2020 would have dangerous consequences," he said. "If I win a majority in this election, we will then ratify the great new deal that I have negotiated, get Brexit done in January and the country will move on." Corbyn said he would wait to see what the EU decides on a Brexit delay before deciding which way to vote on Monday, repeating that he could only back an election when the risk of Johnson taking Britain out of the EU without a deal to smooth the transition was off the table. It is not clear how Corbyn would respond if the EU makes no decision on a date on Friday.

Any government that BJP forms in Haryana will be illegitimate, illegally constituted: Congress

Assembly Election results in Haryana and Maharasthra have shown that there is still some hope left for regional parties in electoral politics of India.&nbsp;

While BJP continues to dominate the political landscape of the country, Sharad Pawar and Dushyant Chautala have managed to make inroads.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), despite divisions within his family, has firmly grabbed the reins of Jat politics and sentiments in districts which are their traditional strongholds.

While the Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar was the last man standing who did not give up even in the face of the mass exodus from NCP-Congress to Shiv Sena and BJP.&nbsp;

In Haryana, the BJP won 40 seats, with the main opposition Congress party cornering 31 seats. The state has a 90-member assembly, meaning either party will need an ally to form a government.

Jannayak Janata Party, a regional party that has emerged a likely kingmaker in the state with 10 seats, has not announced who it will side with.

"The keys to the Haryana assembly will be with the Jannayak Janta Party," party leader Dushyant Chautala told reporters on Thursday.

The results for 286 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra were declared on Thursday with the BJP securing a total of 105 seats and its alliance partner Shiv Sena, 56 seats.&nbsp;

As per the Election Commission, BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena (56), Congress (44) and the Nationalist Congress Party (54).&nbsp;

While Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi won 3 seats, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Prahar Janshakti Party and Samajwadi Party won 2 seats each.

One seat each was bagged by Sawbhimani Pakasha, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Peasants and Workers Party of India, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Krantikari Shetkari Party, Jan Surajya Shakti and Communist Party of India (Marxist).

BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the Maharashtra assembly polls.

(With inputs from agencies)

Assembly Election results in Haryana and Maharasthra have shown that there is still some hope left for regional parties in electoral politics of India. While BJP continues to dominate the political landscape of the country, Sharad Pawar and Dushyant Chautala have managed to make inroads.

Assembly Election results in Haryana and Maharasthra have shown that there is still some hope left for regional parties in electoral politics of India. While BJP continues to dominate the political landscape of the country, Sharad Pawar and Dushyant Chautala have managed to make inroads. Chautala’s Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), despite divisions within his family, has firmly grabbed the reins of Jat politics and sentiments in districts which are their traditional strongholds. While the Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar was the last man standing who did not give up even in the face of the mass exodus from NCP-Congress to Shiv Sena and BJP. In Haryana, the BJP won 40 seats, with the main opposition Congress party cornering 31 seats. The state has a 90-member assembly, meaning either party will need an ally to form a government. Jannayak Janata Party, a regional party that has emerged a likely kingmaker in the state with 10 seats, has not announced who it will side with. "The keys to the Haryana assembly will be with the Jannayak Janta Party," party leader Dushyant Chautala told reporters on Thursday. The results for 286 Assembly constituencies of Maharashtra were declared on Thursday with the BJP securing a total of 105 seats and its alliance partner Shiv Sena, 56 seats. As per the Election Commission, BJP secured 105 seats, Shiv Sena (56), Congress (44) and the Nationalist Congress Party (54). While Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi won 3 seats, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Prahar Janshakti Party and Samajwadi Party won 2 seats each. One seat each was bagged by Sawbhimani Pakasha, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, Peasants and Workers Party of India, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Krantikari Shetkari Party, Jan Surajya Shakti and Communist Party of India (Marxist). BJP-Shiv Sena alliance won an absolute majority in the Maharashtra assembly polls. (With inputs from agencies)

Future of regional parties looks hopeful amid national BJP wave

The counting of votes for Haryana and Maharashtra assembly election is currently underway. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Shiv Sena is in lead in Maharashtra. Meanwhile in Haryana, there is a neck and neck fight between BJP and Congress.

Haryana & Maharashtra Assembly Eelections 2019: Counting underway, BJP leads in Maharashtra

The counting of votes for Haryana and Maharashtra assembly election is currently underway. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Shiv Sena took is in lead in Maharashtra. Meanwhile in Haryana, there is a neck and neck fight between BJP and Congress.

India Votes: Close fight between BJP & Congress in Haryana

The fate of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray, former Maharashtra deputy CM and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan, will be decided on Thursday as counting for the 288-member Maharashtra assembly election is underway.

Maharashtra, Haryana elections results: BJP likely to retain power in both states

PM Modi's speech on BJP's victory in Haryana and Maharashtra Elections. To know more watch the video

PM Modi's speech on BJP's victory in Haryana and Maharashtra Elections

India Votes: Cong old guard fights back; BJP falls short of majority in Haryana. Watch video to know more.

India Votes: Cong old guard fights back; BJP falls short of majority in Haryana

The results of Assembly elections&nbsp;in Maharashtra and Haryana should set the &nbsp;BJP leadership rethink about their ‘winning’ formula. Do they need to reinvent this formula as it doesn’t seem to be working as effectively in the state assembly polls as it has worked in the national elections.

A key takeaway from these poll results is that people in India vote differently for the assembly and the parliamentary polls. While at the national level, the national leadership and the ideology of a party have a decisive impact on the poll outcome, in Assembly polls there are multiple factors that influence the poll outcome such as local leadership, ticket distribution, caste, number of parties that are contesting, profile of individual candidates and tactical understanding between different players in multi-cornered contest. But most importantly, it is the anti-incumbency that plays a significant role in assembly polls. &nbsp;&nbsp;

On all the above parameters, the performance of the BJP has been credible. It has turned upside down the key political dictum of Indian politics i.e. most governments have to be voted out of power after one term. In most of the states where the BJP has captured power, it has been able to make a comeback, even if with reduced numbers. It is a significant achievement and it underlines the fact that people believe that the BJP tries to provide good governance. In some spheres, it is able to deliver and in some spheres it is not.

But overall, the BJP has been able to build an image of a party that is concerned more with governance and less with the self-interest of the individuals. If one looks at the Assembly results of both Haryana and Maharashtra from this perspective, one would be able to understand that how the BJP lost some seats in both the states but still remains the most preferred party.

Another important takeaway from these poll results is that the Congress Party needs to shun Rahul Gandhi completely if it is interested in revival. It is clear from these poll results that Congress has performed much better than even its own expectation. One of the primary reasons for this performance is the stepping down of Rahul Gandhi. It is a well-known fact that Rahul Gandhi had backed Ashok Tanwar in Haryana and not BS Hooda.

The latter was backed by Sonia Gandhi after she again took over the reins of the Congress recently leading to exit of Rahul loyalist Ashok Tanwar. And it is former Chief Minister BS Hooda who has spearheaded the revival of Congress in Haryana.&nbsp;

The Assembly poll results would surely lead to the next round of power struggle within the Congress as the old guard is likely to strike back with greater confidence after the party has performed well without Rahul Gandhi. One of the possible outcomes of this revival of the old guard could be the comeback of Rahul as the Party President much sooner than expected as he is likely to feel more and more insecure in days to come. It would be interesting to see how long Sonia can protect him from this power struggle.

Meanwhile, the BJP also needs to go back and rethink about the gap between expectations and actual performance on the ground. &nbsp;The party needs to review where did it go wrong in Haryana and how it could have improved its tally further in Maharashtra. &nbsp;The formidable organisational network of the BJP has become probably vulnerable at the local level in certain places and the party need not overlook that.

The party also needs to rethink about the utility of high decibel campaigns. Such campaigns are effective only when they are backed by organisational outreach at the grassroots level. It seems that many ‘members’ or ‘party workers’ didn’t do the task assigned to them at the grassroots level. 
 
There was intense infighting in the party units in both the states. The same situation prevails in the state of Jharkhand and Delhi also which are going to go to polls soon.

It remains to be seen now, which of the party’s learn from these polls and do not repeat its past mistakes. If the Congress wants to revive and challenge the BJP, it needs to keep Rahul Gandhi far away, if the BJP wants to win back Delhi and retain Jharkhand, it needs to review its organisational outreach at the grassroots level and control infighting within its state units. 
 
It also needs to look at some of the distress signals in the economic sphere that affect day to day lives of the common people. The BJP must not forget amidst its high decibel campaign that ‘for a hungry man, utopia is a world full of food.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

The results of Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana should set the BJP leadership rethink about their ‘winning’ formula. Do they need to reinvent this formula as it doesn’t seem to be working as effectively in the state assembly polls as it has worked in the national elections.

The results of Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana should set the BJP leadership rethink about their ‘winning’ formula. Do they need to reinvent this formula as it doesn’t seem to be working as effectively in the state assembly polls as it has worked in the national elections. A key takeaway from these poll results is that people in India vote differently for the assembly and the parliamentary polls. While at the national level, the national leadership and the ideology of a party have a decisive impact on the poll outcome, in Assembly polls there are multiple factors that influence the poll outcome such as local leadership, ticket distribution, caste, number of parties that are contesting, profile of individual candidates and tactical understanding between different players in multi-cornered contest. But most importantly, it is the anti-incumbency that plays a significant role in assembly polls. On all the above parameters, the performance of the BJP has been credible. It has turned upside down the key political dictum of Indian politics i.e. most governments have to be voted out of power after one term. In most of the states where the BJP has captured power, it has been able to make a comeback, even if with reduced numbers. It is a significant achievement and it underlines the fact that people believe that the BJP tries to provide good governance. In some spheres, it is able to deliver and in some spheres it is not. But overall, the BJP has been able to build an image of a party that is concerned more with governance and less with the self-interest of the individuals. If one looks at the Assembly results of both Haryana and Maharashtra from this perspective, one would be able to understand that how the BJP lost some seats in both the states but still remains the most preferred party. Another important takeaway from these poll results is that the Congress Party needs to shun Rahul Gandhi completely if it is interested in revival. It is clear from these poll results that Congress has performed much better than even its own expectation. One of the primary reasons for this performance is the stepping down of Rahul Gandhi. It is a well-known fact that Rahul Gandhi had backed Ashok Tanwar in Haryana and not BS Hooda. The latter was backed by Sonia Gandhi after she again took over the reins of the Congress recently leading to exit of Rahul loyalist Ashok Tanwar. And it is former Chief Minister BS Hooda who has spearheaded the revival of Congress in Haryana. The Assembly poll results would surely lead to the next round of power struggle within the Congress as the old guard is likely to strike back with greater confidence after the party has performed well without Rahul Gandhi. One of the possible outcomes of this revival of the old guard could be the comeback of Rahul as the Party President much sooner than expected as he is likely to feel more and more insecure in days to come. It would be interesting to see how long Sonia can protect him from this power struggle. Meanwhile, the BJP also needs to go back and rethink about the gap between expectations and actual performance on the ground. The party needs to review where did it go wrong in Haryana and how it could have improved its tally further in Maharashtra. The formidable organisational network of the BJP has become probably vulnerable at the local level in certain places and the party need not overlook that. The party also needs to rethink about the utility of high decibel campaigns. Such campaigns are effective only when they are backed by organisational outreach at the grassroots level. It seems that many ‘members’ or ‘party workers’ didn’t do the task assigned to them at the grassroots level. There was intense infighting in the party units in both the states. The same situation prevails in the state of Jharkhand and Delhi also which are going to go to polls soon. It remains to be seen now, which of the party’s learn from these polls and do not repeat its past mistakes. If the Congress wants to revive and challenge the BJP, it needs to keep Rahul Gandhi far away, if the BJP wants to win back Delhi and retain Jharkhand, it needs to review its organisational outreach at the grassroots level and control infighting within its state units. It also needs to look at some of the distress signals in the economic sphere that affect day to day lives of the common people. The BJP must not forget amidst its high decibel campaign that ‘for a hungry man, utopia is a world full of food. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Assembly election results: Lessons BJP and Congress need to learn

After giving BJP a phenomenal victory in the Lok Sabha elections, electors appear to have voted differently in the assembly elections.

BJP-Shiv Sena set to rule in Maharashtra

Opposition votes exist&nbsp;in India but require deft leadership. The voting pattern in Haryana and Maharashtra stands testimony to this reality. BJP’s strong grip over various states and New Delhi stands challenged by regional parties and much weakened Congress. Such political challenge stems from a strong culture of Opposition in Indian politics.

Despite massive electoral machinery in place, the Opposition has been able to get candidates elected. The best example in case is Haryana where elections have thrown a hung assembly. The presence of a resurgent Opposition should be a sigh of relief that India is not staring at brute majoritarian politics. It still has the power to rustle up regional and local concoctions to challenge national hegemony in the form of Bhartiya Janata Party. Haryana results may ape Karnataka development but still gives hope that Opposition can put a good fight under-seasoned hands.

Regional parties are integral to India

Off late, the argument was that regional parties would be subsumed by BJP. Congress would in itself turn into another regional party. The emergence of JJP in Haryana and NCP’s consolidation in Maharashtra shows us that regional parties will continue to exist in Indian electoral politics. Regional parties will continue to act as a bulwark against a very strong New Delhi. After 15 years, Haryana has thrown JJP under Dushyant Chautala and Sharad Pawar has been able to stem the decline of NCP by consolidating his vote in Maharashtra. The results show a significant drop in the share of BJP vote post-Lok Sabha reinforcing the message that regional elections will continue to have a say. The message is that regional parties are integral to Indian democracy and not an exception. Regional parties will continue to the vehicle of Indian regional diversity with competing for political interests.

National and regional voting pattern will always differ

Once again, the Assembly elections have shown that national and regional elections will have a different voting pattern. In both Maharashtra and Haryana, the vote share of BJP dropped significantly. BJP’s campaign on national security, Article 370 also failed. It failed in Bihar in 2015 and BJP had to do course correction. Its next election in Assam was fought on a local issue like Khilonjiya Sarkar (Government of Locals). BJP-Shiv Sena vote share in Maharashtra fell by 9 per cent and in Haryana by 22 per cent. It means that local and regional issues dominated or even sidelined national narrative on terrorism. This narrative is likely to continue in Indian politics and voting pattern will continue to be different.

Congress does well without Rahul Gandhi

Congress leadership under Sonia Gandhi has done better in the absence of Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders, aligned with Rahul Gandhi, would have expected a party to do badly so that his comeback trail could be choreographed. The surprise result in Haryana and Maharashtra will strengthen the hands of the old guard and push back any chance of Rahul Gandhi taking over the Congress Party. There will be clamour within the Congress for Sonia Gandhi to serve as Congress President for a longer period. The results have also ended up exposing new leaders put up by Rahul Gandhi. Those created by Sonia Gandhi have worked well and those who climbed their way to top under Rahul Gandhi have turned out to be dud bombs.

Return to old party model by Congress

Congress under Sonia Gandhi was all about the management of regional satraps. BJP under its new leadership was able to defeat regional satraps after 2014. The response of the Congress was to centralise decision-making and ape BJP’s model of organisation. The net result was that regional satraps left Congress cursing Rahul Gandhi. Sonia after becoming Congress President again accommodated all the regional satraps. She even visited jailed Congress leaders in Tihar sending the message that she will stand by party leaders. The bump for the Congress also stems from the accommodation of regional leaders who were being systematically pushed out by Rahul Gandhi in the name of democratisation. Congress was able to organise its house in both states last minute. Insiders feel that picture would have been entirely different if the decision could have been taken earlier.

BJP will need to go regional again

BJP’s early success stemmed from local and regional leadership. When BJP was found floundering at the Centre for want of a strong voice, the regional leaders made up for the seats and political heft. BJP indeed tried its best to project Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis as state leaders, but national stories failed to reap full dividends to BJP. Regional caste alignment also came to fore lending strength to regional parties. 
 
Accountability

Accountability becomes a big problem if elections results are not up to expectations. Maharashtra and Haryana qualify for the accountability problem for BJP. Lacklustre win in Maharashtra and hung assembly in Haryana will start this debate. A lot of blame will be pinned on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The fact of the matter is that elections were fought under BJP’s acting president JP Nadda and new Organising Secretary BL Santosh. They should be held accountable for the results in Haryana and Maharashtra. Question is, who will bell the cat.

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Opposition votes exist in India but require deft leadership. The voting pattern in Haryana and Maharashtra stands testimony to this reality. BJP’s strong grip over various states and New Delhi stands challenged by regional parties and much weakened Congress.

Opposition votes exist in India but require deft leadership. The voting pattern in Haryana and Maharashtra stands testimony to this reality. BJP’s strong grip over various states and New Delhi stands challenged by regional parties and much weakened Congress. Such political challenge stems from a strong culture of Opposition in Indian politics. Despite massive electoral machinery in place, the Opposition has been able to get candidates elected. The best example in case is Haryana where elections have thrown a hung assembly. The presence of a resurgent Opposition should be a sigh of relief that India is not staring at brute majoritarian politics. It still has the power to rustle up regional and local concoctions to challenge national hegemony in the form of Bhartiya Janata Party. Haryana results may ape Karnataka development but still gives hope that Opposition can put a good fight under-seasoned hands. Regional parties are integral to India Off late, the argument was that regional parties would be subsumed by BJP. Congress would in itself turn into another regional party. The emergence of JJP in Haryana and NCP’s consolidation in Maharashtra shows us that regional parties will continue to exist in Indian electoral politics. Regional parties will continue to act as a bulwark against a very strong New Delhi. After 15 years, Haryana has thrown JJP under Dushyant Chautala and Sharad Pawar has been able to stem the decline of NCP by consolidating his vote in Maharashtra. The results show a significant drop in the share of BJP vote post-Lok Sabha reinforcing the message that regional elections will continue to have a say. The message is that regional parties are integral to Indian democracy and not an exception. Regional parties will continue to the vehicle of Indian regional diversity with competing for political interests. National and regional voting pattern will always differ Once again, the Assembly elections have shown that national and regional elections will have a different voting pattern. In both Maharashtra and Haryana, the vote share of BJP dropped significantly. BJP’s campaign on national security, Article 370 also failed. It failed in Bihar in 2015 and BJP had to do course correction. Its next election in Assam was fought on a local issue like Khilonjiya Sarkar (Government of Locals). BJP-Shiv Sena vote share in Maharashtra fell by 9 per cent and in Haryana by 22 per cent. It means that local and regional issues dominated or even sidelined national narrative on terrorism. This narrative is likely to continue in Indian politics and voting pattern will continue to be different. Congress does well without Rahul Gandhi Congress leadership under Sonia Gandhi has done better in the absence of Rahul Gandhi. Congress leaders, aligned with Rahul Gandhi, would have expected a party to do badly so that his comeback trail could be choreographed. The surprise result in Haryana and Maharashtra will strengthen the hands of the old guard and push back any chance of Rahul Gandhi taking over the Congress Party. There will be clamour within the Congress for Sonia Gandhi to serve as Congress President for a longer period. The results have also ended up exposing new leaders put up by Rahul Gandhi. Those created by Sonia Gandhi have worked well and those who climbed their way to top under Rahul Gandhi have turned out to be dud bombs. Return to old party model by Congress Congress under Sonia Gandhi was all about the management of regional satraps. BJP under its new leadership was able to defeat regional satraps after 2014. The response of the Congress was to centralise decision-making and ape BJP’s model of organisation. The net result was that regional satraps left Congress cursing Rahul Gandhi. Sonia after becoming Congress President again accommodated all the regional satraps. She even visited jailed Congress leaders in Tihar sending the message that she will stand by party leaders. The bump for the Congress also stems from the accommodation of regional leaders who were being systematically pushed out by Rahul Gandhi in the name of democratisation. Congress was able to organise its house in both states last minute. Insiders feel that picture would have been entirely different if the decision could have been taken earlier. BJP will need to go regional again BJP’s early success stemmed from local and regional leadership. When BJP was found floundering at the Centre for want of a strong voice, the regional leaders made up for the seats and political heft. BJP indeed tried its best to project Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis as state leaders, but national stories failed to reap full dividends to BJP. Regional caste alignment also came to fore lending strength to regional parties. Accountability Accountability becomes a big problem if elections results are not up to expectations. Maharashtra and Haryana qualify for the accountability problem for BJP. Lacklustre win in Maharashtra and hung assembly in Haryana will start this debate. A lot of blame will be pinned on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The fact of the matter is that elections were fought under BJP’s acting president JP Nadda and new Organising Secretary BL Santosh. They should be held accountable for the results in Haryana and Maharashtra. Question is, who will bell the cat. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Haryana and Maharashtra elections prove that Opposition vote exists but requires leadership

The counting of votes for Haryana and Maharashtra assembly election is currently underway. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Shiv Sena is in lead in Maharashtra. Meanwhile in Haryana, there is a close fight between BJP & Congress.

India Votes: BJP leading in Maharashtra, Congress gains in Haryana

Haryana is headed for a hung assembly following a neck and neck fight between archrivals&nbsp;Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.

As per the official trends released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP is leading in 34 seats whereas Congress is leading in&nbsp;32 seats.

The majority mark in Haryana Assembly is 46. 
 
Besides the two national parties, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala is leading in five&nbsp;seats.&nbsp;

JJP has won five seats while BJP three and the Congress has won two seats, according to Indian Election Commission official website.

BJP's current vote share is 36.2 per cent followed by&nbsp;Congress which has 28.4 per cent vote share.

The close fight between the BJP and Congress witnessed almost&nbsp;four lakh people voting for the former&nbsp;and three&nbsp;lakh people choosing the latter. The BJP was projected to win around 75 seats in Haryana.

The&nbsp;elections for 90 Assembly seats in Haryana were held on October 21 and the counting is currently underway in Gurugram.

Haryana is headed for a hung assembly following a neck and neck fight between archrivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. As per the official trends released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP is leading in 34 seats whereas Congress is leading in 32 seats.

Haryana is headed for a hung assembly following a neck and neck fight between archrivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress. As per the official trends released by the Election Commission of India, the BJP is leading in 34 seats whereas Congress is leading in 32 seats. The majority mark in Haryana Assembly is 46. Besides the two national parties, Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) led by Dushyant Chautala is leading in five seats. JJP has won five seats while BJP three and the Congress has won two seats, according to Indian Election Commission official website. BJP's current vote share is 36.2 per cent followed by Congress which has 28.4 per cent vote share. The close fight between the BJP and Congress witnessed almost four lakh people voting for the former and three lakh people choosing the latter. The BJP was projected to win around 75 seats in Haryana. The elections for 90 Assembly seats in Haryana were held on October 21 and the counting is currently underway in Gurugram.

Close battle between BJP and Congress in Haryana may lead to hung assembly

The stage is set for counting of votes for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Thursday with stakes high for Congress, which could not do well in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year and also for the BJP, which is incumbent in the two states.

Along with the two states, results will also be declared for assembly bypolls on 51 seats across 17 states and will have political implications for the parties in power.

The results of bypolls to Satara and Samastipur Lok Sabha seats will also be declared on Thursday.

The assembly poll results will also be crucial for the NCP in Maharashtra, which is an ally of Congress, as also for parties such as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, AIMIM and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.

In Haryana also, the battle is crucial for regional parties such as the Indian National Lok Dal and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP).&nbsp;

The BSP has also fielded candidates in the two states.&nbsp;

The exit polls have predicted the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance getting elected in Maharashtra but have differed in their projection of a number of seats.

Most exit polls have also predicted a clear victory for BJP in Haryana. One exit poll, however, has said that the two parties are in a close race in the state and none of them would get a majority. The BJP will create history if it again wins Haryana and returns to power with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

The assembly elections are the first after the BJP-led government`s decisions to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and a verdict in its favour will give a boost to the party ahead of the winter session of Parliament next month.

A victory will also keep the political momentum with the BJP after its emphatic victory in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;

The polls are crucial for Congress which has faced desertions after its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. A strong performance will help the party in its process of electoral revival.

The BJP has already declared that incumbent chief ministers - Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis - will continue to lead the governments if the party is voted to power. The voting took place in the two states and in the bypoll seats on Monday.

The stage is set for counting of votes for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Thursday with stakes high for Congress, which could not do well in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year and also for the BJP, which is incumbent in the two states.

The stage is set for counting of votes for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Thursday with stakes high for Congress, which could not do well in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year and also for the BJP, which is incumbent in the two states. Along with the two states, results will also be declared for assembly bypolls on 51 seats across 17 states and will have political implications for the parties in power. The results of bypolls to Satara and Samastipur Lok Sabha seats will also be declared on Thursday. The assembly poll results will also be crucial for the NCP in Maharashtra, which is an ally of Congress, as also for parties such as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, AIMIM and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. In Haryana also, the battle is crucial for regional parties such as the Indian National Lok Dal and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). The BSP has also fielded candidates in the two states. The exit polls have predicted the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance getting elected in Maharashtra but have differed in their projection of a number of seats. Most exit polls have also predicted a clear victory for BJP in Haryana. One exit poll, however, has said that the two parties are in a close race in the state and none of them would get a majority. The BJP will create history if it again wins Haryana and returns to power with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The assembly elections are the first after the BJP-led government`s decisions to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and a verdict in its favour will give a boost to the party ahead of the winter session of Parliament next month. A victory will also keep the political momentum with the BJP after its emphatic victory in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The polls are crucial for Congress which has faced desertions after its second successive debacle in the Lok Sabha polls. A strong performance will help the party in its process of electoral revival. The BJP has already declared that incumbent chief ministers - Manohar Lal Khattar and Devendra Fadnavis - will continue to lead the governments if the party is voted to power. The voting took place in the two states and in the bypoll seats on Monday.

Counting of votes on Thursday in Haryana, Maharashtra; stakes high for Congress, BJP  

BJP Tipped To Win Assembly Elections In Maharashtra & Haryana. BJP in both the states. Krishna Kumar summarises the predictions of exit polls

Gravitas: Assembly Polls: Exit polls hint at a landslide victory for BJP

Haryana Police has made full proof three-tier security arrangement for the safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Law and Order), Navdeep Singh Virk on Tuesday.&nbsp;

"Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the safe custody of the EVMs and VVPAT machines at designated strong rooms where personnel of state police and paramilitary forces are guarding the rooms under round the clock vigil. We are strictly going by the Election Commission instructions regarding the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines till the day of counting," Virk told reporters here.

Giving details about the security measures, Virk said that in the first layer, personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are deployed near the strong rooms, the Haryana Armed Police personnel are posted in the second layer while the district police personnel are manning the outer layer of security.

"90 strong rooms have been established at 59 different locations with a round-the-clock vigil to ensure the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines," Virk said.

The ADGP added that Haryana Police had throughout the election season kept the information flowing about security arrangements, police deployment and seizures to reassure the citizens of its presence and create fear in the minds of those planning any disruption.

Elections for the 90 seats of the Haryana assembly were held on October 21. The counting of votes is scheduled to begin on October 24.&nbsp;

Haryana Police has made full proof three-tier security arrangement for the safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Law and Order), Navdeep Singh Virk on Tuesday.

Haryana Police has made full proof three-tier security arrangement for the safety of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), said Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) (Law and Order), Navdeep Singh Virk on Tuesday. "Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the safe custody of the EVMs and VVPAT machines at designated strong rooms where personnel of state police and paramilitary forces are guarding the rooms under round the clock vigil. We are strictly going by the Election Commission instructions regarding the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines till the day of counting," Virk told reporters here. Giving details about the security measures, Virk said that in the first layer, personnel of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are deployed near the strong rooms, the Haryana Armed Police personnel are posted in the second layer while the district police personnel are manning the outer layer of security. "90 strong rooms have been established at 59 different locations with a round-the-clock vigil to ensure the safety of EVMs and VVPAT machines," Virk said. The ADGP added that Haryana Police had throughout the election season kept the information flowing about security arrangements, police deployment and seizures to reassure the citizens of its presence and create fear in the minds of those planning any disruption. Elections for the 90 seats of the Haryana assembly were held on October 21. The counting of votes is scheduled to begin on October 24.

EVMs, VVPATs being kept under 3-tier security in Haryana

Post exit poll projections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is a confident lot as they feel that the party is on its way to retain its governments in both Maharashtra and Haryana.

Speaking to ANI, Haryana in charge and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated that exit polls are somewhat matching BJP`s pre-polls assessment that it will return to power with over two-third majority.

"BJP has been saying that we are contesting elections on the issue of development and performance of our incumbent governments. Maharashtra government performance was excellent and Haryana got a corruption-free and honest government after a long time," Tomar said.

"Haryana residents have forgotten that there is a quality called honesty in the government and BJP had to gain from its honest image. Voters are getting aware and voting for Narendra Modi and for Nation," Tomar added.&nbsp;

The results for the Assembly polls will be declared on October 24, while the polling for the two states took place on Monday.

The senior minister also claimed that the BJP did not have a viable competitor in these polls.&nbsp;

"People have voted on issues of policies, performance and principles. They rose above narrow-minded politics of caste and voted for BJP. Opposition was not even a factor," he said.

Pointing towards this lack of concerted opposition efforts in these polls, he said, "On different seats, we faced competition from different parties. On some Jannayak Janata Party gave us competition, whereas on the others INLD and Congress candidates posed a challenge."

The senior leader outrightly rejected claims by former chief minister and Congress leader BS Hooda that the Congress was forming the government with an absolute majority.

"Hooda ji ka jijaji prem poore Haryana ko maloom hai. (Everyone in Haryana knows Hooda`s love for his brother-in-law), " he added.

Talking about position of opposition in the polls, Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, who hails from Haryana, said, "If you add zero to the earlier performance of zero, you will get a zero. If you say it a better performance, then so be it. And even Congress will lose seats. I am from Ambala Lok Sabha constituency. My Lok Sabha has seen hattrick. All 9 Assembly seats have come to BJP and I can assure you even this fourth time, we will get all 9 seats."Kataria thinks the many top leaders of Opposition barring one or two had joined BJP ahead of polls.

"We want a strong opposition in democratic setup, but opposition was marred by its internal feud," stated the minister.&nbsp;

Post exit poll projections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is a confident lot as they feel that the party is on its way to retain its governments in both Maharashtra and Haryana.

Post exit poll projections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership is a confident lot as they feel that the party is on its way to retain its governments in both Maharashtra and Haryana. Speaking to ANI, Haryana in charge and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stated that exit polls are somewhat matching BJP`s pre-polls assessment that it will return to power with over two-third majority. "BJP has been saying that we are contesting elections on the issue of development and performance of our incumbent governments. Maharashtra government performance was excellent and Haryana got a corruption-free and honest government after a long time," Tomar said. "Haryana residents have forgotten that there is a quality called honesty in the government and BJP had to gain from its honest image. Voters are getting aware and voting for Narendra Modi and for Nation," Tomar added. The results for the Assembly polls will be declared on October 24, while the polling for the two states took place on Monday. The senior minister also claimed that the BJP did not have a viable competitor in these polls. "People have voted on issues of policies, performance and principles. They rose above narrow-minded politics of caste and voted for BJP. Opposition was not even a factor," he said. Pointing towards this lack of concerted opposition efforts in these polls, he said, "On different seats, we faced competition from different parties. On some Jannayak Janata Party gave us competition, whereas on the others INLD and Congress candidates posed a challenge." The senior leader outrightly rejected claims by former chief minister and Congress leader BS Hooda that the Congress was forming the government with an absolute majority. "Hooda ji ka jijaji prem poore Haryana ko maloom hai. (Everyone in Haryana knows Hooda`s love for his brother-in-law), " he added. Talking about position of opposition in the polls, Rattan Lal Kataria, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, who hails from Haryana, said, "If you add zero to the earlier performance of zero, you will get a zero. If you say it a better performance, then so be it. And even Congress will lose seats. I am from Ambala Lok Sabha constituency. My Lok Sabha has seen hattrick. All 9 Assembly seats have come to BJP and I can assure you even this fourth time, we will get all 9 seats."Kataria thinks the many top leaders of Opposition barring one or two had joined BJP ahead of polls. "We want a strong opposition in democratic setup, but opposition was marred by its internal feud," stated the minister.

Maharashtra, Haryana polls: BJP upbeat ahead of results, says opposition marred by infighting

In the Indian assembly election 2019, There are 3,237 Maharashtra candidates in the fray & 1,169 Haryana candidates are battling it out. Watch this video to know more. #AssemblyElection2019 #MaharashtraAssemblyElection2019 #HaryanaAssemblyElection2019

India Votes: 3,237 Maharashtra candidates, 1,169 Haryana candidates in the fray

PM Modi tweets ahead of assembly polls in Haryana & Maharashtra, urges everyone to cast their vote. #AssemblyElection2019 #MaharashtraAssemblyElection2019 #HaryanaAssemblyElection2019

PM Modi tweets ahead of assembly polls in Haryana & Maharashtra, urges to cast vote

Nearly 63.55 per cent voter turnout was reported from Haryana, where the voting concluded on Monday for 90 Assembly seats.

The voting percentage in Maharashtra, where 288 Assembly seats are at stake, was pegged at 56.65 per cent, as per the details shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) here.

Also, the by-poll took place for two Lok Sabha constituencies -- Satara in Maharashtra and Samastipur in Bihar, and for 51 Assembly seats spread in 17 states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar.

The polling percentage was 44.64 in Samastipur reserved Parliamentary constituency. 60.75 per cent polling was reported from Satara in Maharashtra. In Uttar Pradesh where the assembly by-poll was held on 11 seats, the voting percentage was put at 46.66. Over 90 per cent of voters cast their votes in Arunachal Pradesh assembly by-poll on Khonsa seat. Gangoh in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh saw 57.8 per cent voting while Lucknow Cantonment assembly seat witnessed 28.53 per cent voting, lowest in the state.

The voter turn out in Naxal-hit Chitrakot in Chhattisgarh was 74.8 per cent, Huzurnagar in Telangana (82.23 per cent) and Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh (62.01 per cent), Bijepur in Odisha (78.96 per cent), Shella in Meghalaya (84.56 per cent) and 69.44 per cent in Puducherry.&nbsp;

The four seats in Assam recorded the poll percentage of 75.69 per cent, five seats in Bihar of 49.50 per cent and six seats in Gujarat of 51.36 per cent.

The poll percentage was 67.97 per cent for two seats in Himachal Pradesh, 66.34 per cent for five seats in Kerala, 69.55 per cent for three seats in Sikkim, 68.87 per cent for two seats in Tamil Nadu and 62.33 per cent for four seats in Punjab.

In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting at 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.

Nearly 63.55 per cent voter turnout was reported from Haryana, where the voting concluded on Monday for 90 Assembly seats. The voting percentage in Maharashtra, where 288 Assembly seats are at stake, was pegged at 56.

Nearly 63.55 per cent voter turnout was reported from Haryana, where the voting concluded on Monday for 90 Assembly seats. The voting percentage in Maharashtra, where 288 Assembly seats are at stake, was pegged at 56.65 per cent, as per the details shared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) here. Also, the by-poll took place for two Lok Sabha constituencies -- Satara in Maharashtra and Samastipur in Bihar, and for 51 Assembly seats spread in 17 states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Bihar. The polling percentage was 44.64 in Samastipur reserved Parliamentary constituency. 60.75 per cent polling was reported from Satara in Maharashtra. In Uttar Pradesh where the assembly by-poll was held on 11 seats, the voting percentage was put at 46.66. Over 90 per cent of voters cast their votes in Arunachal Pradesh assembly by-poll on Khonsa seat. Gangoh in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh saw 57.8 per cent voting while Lucknow Cantonment assembly seat witnessed 28.53 per cent voting, lowest in the state. The voter turn out in Naxal-hit Chitrakot in Chhattisgarh was 74.8 per cent, Huzurnagar in Telangana (82.23 per cent) and Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh (62.01 per cent), Bijepur in Odisha (78.96 per cent), Shella in Meghalaya (84.56 per cent) and 69.44 per cent in Puducherry. The four seats in Assam recorded the poll percentage of 75.69 per cent, five seats in Bihar of 49.50 per cent and six seats in Gujarat of 51.36 per cent. The poll percentage was 67.97 per cent for two seats in Himachal Pradesh, 66.34 per cent for five seats in Kerala, 69.55 per cent for three seats in Sikkim, 68.87 per cent for two seats in Tamil Nadu and 62.33 per cent for four seats in Punjab. In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting at 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.

Assembly polls: Haryana records 63.55% voter turnout, Maharashtra 56.65%

In this segment, watch special coverage on Maharashtra & Haryana Assembly Elections 2019.

India Votes: Special coverage on Maharashtra, Haryana exit poll results 2019

Is BJP all set to sweep opposition in Maharashtra & Haryana today? Election fiasco in Maharashtra and Haryana today, voting will begin shortly. Watch this video to know more. #AssemblyElection2019 #MaharashtraAssemblyElection2019 #HaryanaAssemblyElection2019

Is BJP all set to sweep assembly polls, Voting underway in Maharashtra & Haryana

Over 50 per cent of voters had cast their votes for Haryana assembly polls by 4 pm on Monday while the polling percentage was 43.70 per cent in Maharashtra.

The polling percentage in Haryana was 50.59 per cent in Haryana, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).&nbsp;

The polling percentage was high in some states where assembly by-elections are being held but low in some others.

In Uttar Pradesh where assembly by-poll is being held on 11 seats, the voting percentage was 36.94 per cent. The four seats in Assam recorded a poll percentage of 63.71 per cent, five seats in Bihar of 41.82 per cent, six seats in Gujarat of 40.28 per cent.

The poll percentage was 55.62 per cent for two seats in Himachal Pradesh, 51.65 per cent for five seats in Kerala, 62 per cent for three seats in Sikkim, 58.51 per cent for two seats in Tamil Nadu and 50.49 per cent for four seats in Punjab.

The assembly bypoll for one seat in Arunachal Pradesh recorded a high polling percentage of 89.27 per cent by 4 pm.

It was 56.62 per cent for one seat in Madhya Pradesh, 64.13 per cent for one seat in Meghalaya, 56.50 per cent for one seat in Odisha, 64.14 per cent for one seat in Chhattisgarh, 69.95 per cent for one seat in Telangana and 56.16 per cent in Puducherry. Samasitpur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar recorded 38 per cent voting by 4 pm while Satara in Maharashtra recorded 48.04 per cent.

In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting at 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.

Over 50 per cent of voters had cast their votes for Haryana assembly polls by 4 pm on Monday while the polling percentage was 43.70 per cent in Maharashtra. The polling percentage in Haryana was 50.

Over 50 per cent of voters had cast their votes for Haryana assembly polls by 4 pm on Monday while the polling percentage was 43.70 per cent in Maharashtra. The polling percentage in Haryana was 50.59 per cent in Haryana, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The polling percentage was high in some states where assembly by-elections are being held but low in some others. In Uttar Pradesh where assembly by-poll is being held on 11 seats, the voting percentage was 36.94 per cent. The four seats in Assam recorded a poll percentage of 63.71 per cent, five seats in Bihar of 41.82 per cent, six seats in Gujarat of 40.28 per cent. The poll percentage was 55.62 per cent for two seats in Himachal Pradesh, 51.65 per cent for five seats in Kerala, 62 per cent for three seats in Sikkim, 58.51 per cent for two seats in Tamil Nadu and 50.49 per cent for four seats in Punjab. The assembly bypoll for one seat in Arunachal Pradesh recorded a high polling percentage of 89.27 per cent by 4 pm. It was 56.62 per cent for one seat in Madhya Pradesh, 64.13 per cent for one seat in Meghalaya, 56.50 per cent for one seat in Odisha, 64.14 per cent for one seat in Chhattisgarh, 69.95 per cent for one seat in Telangana and 56.16 per cent in Puducherry. Samasitpur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar recorded 38 per cent voting by 4 pm while Satara in Maharashtra recorded 48.04 per cent. In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting at 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.

Haryana registers 50.59% polling by 4 pm, Maharashtra 43.70%

Over 50.59 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Haryana till 3:30 pm on Monday.

The fate of 1,169 candidates for the 90 member Legislative Assembly in the state will be sealed in EVMs by the voters.

19,578 polling stations have been set up for citizens to cast their votes in the state.

About 2,987 polling booths have been marked as vulnerable and 151 polling stations have been identified as critical.

Live footage from these polling stations will be monitored in the control room set up at the headquarters in Chandigarh.

More than 40,000 Haryana Police personnel, over 13,000 paramilitary personnel and more than 20,000 Home Guards and Special Police Officers have been deployed for conducting the elections in the state.

The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Polling for 90 seats in Haryana began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.&nbsp;

Over 50.59 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Haryana till 3:30 pm on Monday. The fate of 1,169 candidates for the 90 member Legislative Assembly in the state will be sealed in EVMs by the voters.

Over 50.59 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Haryana till 3:30 pm on Monday. The fate of 1,169 candidates for the 90 member Legislative Assembly in the state will be sealed in EVMs by the voters. 19,578 polling stations have been set up for citizens to cast their votes in the state. About 2,987 polling booths have been marked as vulnerable and 151 polling stations have been identified as critical. Live footage from these polling stations will be monitored in the control room set up at the headquarters in Chandigarh. More than 40,000 Haryana Police personnel, over 13,000 paramilitary personnel and more than 20,000 Home Guards and Special Police Officers have been deployed for conducting the elections in the state. The assembly elections in Haryana are a multi-cornered contest among the BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP). Polling for 90 seats in Haryana began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.

Haryana assembly elections: 50.59% polling recorded till 3:30 pm

Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. The electoral fate of over 4,400 candidates -- 1,169 in Haryana and 3,237 in Maharashtra will be sealed in EVMs by the voters who will exercise their democratic franchise in the assembly elections.

India Votes: Voting underway in Haryana and Maharashtra

Maharashtra Congress on Monday claimed that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were malfunctioning in several booths across the state.

"We have been sitting here in the Congress war room since 6 am and have received many complaints of EVMs not functioning properly in various polling booths, some of which were even changed after the complaint," Avinash Pandey Congress general secretary and the party`s war room in-charge in Mumbai told ANI.

Pandey gave the example of a polling booth in the Ramtek assembly constituency.

"For example, in booth number 337 in the Ramtek assembly constituency, a complaint came that while the button against one party`s symbol was being pressed the VVPAT showed the symbol of another party. This is a serious fault," Pandey said.

"We have complained to the Election Commission regarding this and we are hopeful it will be resolved soon," he further said.

Voting for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening.

The electoral fate of 3237 candidates in the state will be sealed in EVms by the voters who will exercise their franchise in the assembly elections. Of the 288 seats, BJP is contesting on 164; this includes candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while its key ally Shiv Sena has fielded 126 candidates in the state.&nbsp;

On the other hand, Congress has candidates in 147 constituencies and NCP is contesting 121 seats.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Maharashtra Congress on Monday claimed that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were malfunctioning in several booths across the state. "We have been sitting here in the Congress war room since 6 am and have received many complaints of EVMs not functioning properly in various polling booths, some of which were even changed after the complaint," Avinash Pandey Congress general secretary and the party`s war room in-charge in Mumbai told ANI.

Maharashtra Congress on Monday claimed that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were malfunctioning in several booths across the state. "We have been sitting here in the Congress war room since 6 am and have received many complaints of EVMs not functioning properly in various polling booths, some of which were even changed after the complaint," Avinash Pandey Congress general secretary and the party`s war room in-charge in Mumbai told ANI. Pandey gave the example of a polling booth in the Ramtek assembly constituency. "For example, in booth number 337 in the Ramtek assembly constituency, a complaint came that while the button against one party`s symbol was being pressed the VVPAT showed the symbol of another party. This is a serious fault," Pandey said. "We have complained to the Election Commission regarding this and we are hopeful it will be resolved soon," he further said. Voting for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm in the evening. The electoral fate of 3237 candidates in the state will be sealed in EVms by the voters who will exercise their franchise in the assembly elections. Of the 288 seats, BJP is contesting on 164; this includes candidates of smaller allies contesting on its lotus symbol, while its key ally Shiv Sena has fielded 126 candidates in the state. On the other hand, Congress has candidates in 147 constituencies and NCP is contesting 121 seats.

Congress complains to EC, alleges several EVMs malfunctioning across the state

The voter turnout for Maharashtra Assembly constituency stood at 30.89 per cent till 1 pm.

Out of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Armori witnessed the highest voter turnout of 52.89 per cent and Ulhasnagar witnessed the lowest at 15.70 per cent till 1 pm.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/maharashtra-haryana-assembly-elections-2019-voting-underway-at-all-polling-booths-257147">Maharashtra, Haryana Assembly Elections 2019: Voting underway at all polling booths</a>

Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm.

The electoral fate of over 4,400 candidates -- 1,169 in Haryana and 3,237 in Maharashtra will be sealed in EVMs by the voters who will exercise their democratic franchise in the assembly elections.

There are 96,661 polling booths in Maharashtra for citizens to cast their votes.

In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates.&nbsp;

The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The voter turnout for Maharashtra Assembly constituency stood at 30.89 per cent till 1 pm. Out of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Armori witnessed the highest voter turnout of 52.

The voter turnout for Maharashtra Assembly constituency stood at 30.89 per cent till 1 pm. Out of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state, Armori witnessed the highest voter turnout of 52.89 per cent and Ulhasnagar witnessed the lowest at 15.70 per cent till 1 pm. Also read: Maharashtra, Haryana Assembly Elections 2019: Voting underway at all polling booths Polling for 90 seats of Haryana and 288 constituencies of Maharashtra began at 7 am today and will continue till 6 pm. The electoral fate of over 4,400 candidates -- 1,169 in Haryana and 3,237 in Maharashtra will be sealed in EVMs by the voters who will exercise their democratic franchise in the assembly elections. There are 96,661 polling booths in Maharashtra for citizens to cast their votes. In Maharashtra, BJP is contesting 150 seats while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. On the other hand, Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Counting of votes in both Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place on October 24.

Maharashtra polls: 30.89% voter turnout till 1 pm

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The campaigning ended for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Saturday with political leaders making all-out efforts to woo voters through rallies and road shows.

On the last day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally at Rewari and Sirsa in Haryana.

Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah held rallies in Maharashtra. State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a roadshow in Nagpur while NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressed an election rally in Satara.

Polling in the two states will be held on October 21 and the results will be announced on October 24. BJP is in power on its own in Haryana and in alliance with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

The BJP targeted Congress on its past record in office and vociferously raised the issues of national security and repeal of Article 370.

The Congress and other opposition parties raised issues such as "unemployment", "slow down in economy" and " farm distress".

BJP is contesting 150 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded candidates in 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies.

Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with NCP in Maharashtra.

The elections to 90-member Haryana assembly will witness multi-cornered contest on several seats between BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).&nbsp;
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The campaigning ended for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Saturday with political leaders making all-out efforts to woo voters through rallies and road shows.

The campaigning ended for assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra on Saturday with political leaders making all-out efforts to woo voters through rallies and road shows. On the last day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally at Rewari and Sirsa in Haryana. Union Home Minister and BJP president Amit Shah held rallies in Maharashtra. State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a roadshow in Nagpur while NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressed an election rally in Satara. Polling in the two states will be held on October 21 and the results will be announced on October 24. BJP is in power on its own in Haryana and in alliance with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The BJP targeted Congress on its past record in office and vociferously raised the issues of national security and repeal of Article 370. The Congress and other opposition parties raised issues such as "unemployment", "slow down in economy" and " farm distress". BJP is contesting 150 seats in 288-member Maharashtra Assembly while its ally Shiv Sena has fielded candidates in 124 candidates. The remaining seats have been left for smaller allies. Congress is contesting the polls in alliance with NCP in Maharashtra. The elections to 90-member Haryana assembly will witness multi-cornered contest on several seats between BJP, Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP).

Campaigning ends for Haryana, Maharashtra assembly polls

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