Lok Sabha elections 2019: Haryana to vote on May 12 in a multi-cornered fight for 10 seats

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Updated: Mar 11, 2019 14:57 IST

Haryana is bracing for a multi-cornered acrimonious electoral bout with the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday announcing to hold polling across 10 Lok Sabha seats of the state on May 12 in a single phase.

In the 2014 general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had scored an impressive win by bagging seven seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 2 seats. The Congress had won one seat.

The ruling BJP under the leadership of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar will make a determined bid to score an impressive victory. But the Congress, the INLD and the new entrant Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the newly formed political outfit, the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) of Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala will turn thecontest multi-cornered in the state.

“The latest model M3 electronic voting machines (EVM) with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) will be used in all 19,425 polling stations of Haryana during May 12 polling,” Rajiv Ranjan, chief electoral officer (CEO) of Haryana said in a news conference here.

The CEO said the model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect and that at least three companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) will be deputed in the state in the beginning for area dominance.

The electoral officer said in 2014 at least 74 companies of the central reserve paramilitary forces were deployed in the run up to the polls.

Two-stage randomisation of EVMs will be done as per EC directions first in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties and second in the presence of observers, candidates or their election agents.

As per finally published roll, there are 1,74,48,293 crore electors in the state out of which males are 93,97,153 and females are 80,51,140. Electoral Photo ID Cards (EPICs) have been issued to 100% electors and the coverage of photo electors is 100%.

Of the total 19,425 polling stations, 5,494 falls in urban and 13,931 in rural areas. “At present no auxiliary polling station is there,” the CEO said, pointing out that auxiliary polling station will be set up in case number of electors cross the allowed limit at a polling station.

It is for the first time in Haryana that VVPAT system will be used in all 10 Parliamentary Constituencies. During last 2014 assembly elections VVPAT were used in Thanesar (Kurukshetra), Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak and Gurgaon assembly seats.

“Since EPICs have been issued to 100% electors, it would be a compulsory document for identification of elector during election,” the CEO said.

However, the EC has allowed other alternative identity documents such as passport, driving license, PAN card, adhaar card etc.