'Accepted defeat': Congress mocks BJP for seeking change in Haryana Assembly poll dates

The party conveyed its concerns that vacations before and after October 1 could affect voter turnout.

However, Congress criticised the BJP for seeking a change in the election dates and fFormer Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that that the BJP is expecting defeat.

On August 16, the Election Commission announced that Assembly polls in Haryana would be held in a single phase on October 1 and the results would be declared on October 4.

The tenure of the current Haryana Assembly, which has 90 seats, ends on November 3.

The BJP, which is in power in the state, is hoping for a third consecutive term while the Congress is looking to unseat the ruling party.

In his letter, Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli highlighted that many people take vacations during the week before and after October 1, which could reduce voter participation. He has urged the Election Commission to set a new election date.

Explaining the reason for the request, Varinder Garg, a member of the BJP's state election management committee, said that the Assembly election date of October 1 was problematic because it fell between a weekend and several holidays, which could affect voter turnout.

He said that people often go on vacation during long weekends and subsequent holidays.

He pointed out that Saturday, September 28, is a holiday for many, followed by Sunday, which is also a holiday.

October 1, the election day, is a poll holiday, and it is followed by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 and Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti on October 3, both of which are holidays.

State Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal confirmed that the Election Commission received a copy of Badoli's letter on Friday over email. "We have received the communication from state BJP and forwarded it to the Election Commission," he told PTI.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini confirmed that Badoli had written to the Election Commission requesting a change in the polling date because of the extended holidays in Haryana.

"Our BJP state president Mohan Badoli has written to the Election Commission to shift the (election) date in consultation with other political parties so that vote percentage can be increased. There are holidays continuously and therefore this letter has been written so that vote percentage does not go down," Saini said.

Congress slams BJP

Taking a jibe at the BJP, senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the BJP had "accepted defeat" by seeking a change in the Assembly election date.

He claimed that the people of Haryana were prepared to remove the ruling government.

He said that the Election Commission should not postpone the poll dates as the people don’t want the BJP-led government to remain in power for even a day.