2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election
Assembly elections in Haryana
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The schedule of the election was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 August 2024. The ballots were counted and the results were declared on 8 October 2024. The Bharatiya Janata Party won a majority with 48 seats and secured victory for the third consecutive time, becoming the first party in the state's history to achieve this feat. The BJP outperformed expectations and defied almost every pollster, which had predicted a sweeping win for the opposition Congress. Although the popular vote total differed by less than one percentage point, the Congress managed to win only 37 seats.
A post poll survey conducted by CDS- Lokniti revealed that BJP won a majority of the Other Backward Caste (OBC) votes along with the votes of Upper Caste and Non- Jatav Scheduled Caste. The Congress due to its emphasis on Jat voters, won a massive amount of Jat vote, which constitues 25% of the population, though it was significantly lower than pollster predicted, as well as that of religious minorities, but trailed in other sections of the society. The Congress also narrowly led the BJP in younger voters while the BJP
In terms of education, Congress had the strongest support of non- literate voters where it led the BJP, though its vote share plummeted with increase in educational qualification. Meanwhile, the BJP performed best in those being graduates or above. BJP won massively over urban voters, beating Congress by 16 points. However, it won led narrowly in semi-urban voters and trailed the Congress by 4 points in rural voters. The relatively high urban turnout compared to the general election, held 4 months back enabled the BJP to win more seats than expected and win the election.
Background
The tenure of the 14th Haryana Assembly was slated to end on 3 November 2024. The previous Assembly elections were held in October 2019, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party. After the election, the BJP formed a coalition government with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) with Manohar Lal Khattar becoming the Chief Minister and Dushyant Chautala as his deputy.
On 12 March 2024, Khattar resigned as the Chief Minister after the coalition between the BJP and JJP came to an end. Nayab Singh Saini of the BJP was sworn in as the new Chief Minister on the same day with the support of independents. After three independents withdrew their support to the BJP government in May 2024, Saini led a minority government.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections held earlier in the year, the BJP which had held all the seats following the 2019, retained five seats while the Indian National Congress won the remaining five seats.
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Schedule
The schedule of the election was announced by the Election Commission of India on 16 August 2024. The election was scheduled to be held in a single phase on 1 October. On 31 August, the Election Commission announced that the elections would be held on 5 October and that the votes would be counted on 8 October.
Parties and alliances
The BJP contested in 89 seats. On 12 September, the Congress announced an alliance with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). In July 2024, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) announced an alliance for the assembly elections, with Abhay Singh Chautala as the chief ministerial face. In August 2024, the JJP announced an alliance with the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) (ASP) for the elections.
Candidates
- The BJP released its first list of 67 candidates on 4 September followed by the second list of 21 candidates on 10 September and the third list of 3 candidates on 11 September.
- The Congress released its first list of 32 candidates on 6 September and the second list of nine candidates on 8 September. The party released its third list of 40 candidates on 11 September and the candidates for eight seats on 12 September.
- The BSP released its first list of four candidates on 27 August. The INLD released its first list of seven candidates on 1 September.
- The JJP-ASP alliance released its first list of 19 candidates on 4 September followed by a second list of 12 candidates on 9 September. The alliance announced candidates for 34 more seats on 11 September. The final lists of candidates contesting in 21 seats were released in three phases on 12 September.
Major issues
Farmer Protest and demands
The three farm laws by the BJP-led central government in 2020 have been a major point of contention with the farmers across various states. The farmers in Haryana also participated in the protests with the demand for the repeal of these laws, claiming that they adversely affect their crop sales and income was a prominent issue of that time. Another significant issue prior to the elections was the demand for a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers. Farmer unions advocated the government to ensure that MSPs are legally mandated, arguing that it will provide a safety net for their produce and ensure fair prices. The demand arose from concerns that the farmers might face financial instability due to fluctuating market prices without such guarantees. The issue was part of broader discontent with the existent agricultural policies and became a key topic in the electoral debates.
Agnipath scheme
The Agnipath Scheme was a tour of duty style scheme introduced by the central government in June 2022, which proposed a four-year term recruitment into the Indian Army, after which 25% of them would continue their service in the army and rest would be dismissed. The scheme was seen as a move away from permanent recruitment and became a contentious issue in Haryana with concerns that it may lead to instability in employment for the soldiers. The state government introduced a quota for such relieved soldiers in certain state government jobs.
Unemployment
Unemployment was raised as a significant issue in the state as indicated by a survey by India Today. Opposition parties questioned the effectiveness of government policies in creating job opportunities for the youth, which made it a central debating topic in the elections.
Inflation
Rising prices of essential goods and services was also raised as a major election issue by the opposition parties. They claimed that the inflation has significantly impacted the cost of living in Haryana and questioned the government's ability to manage inflation and provide relief to affected citizens.
Wrestler protests
Haryana has a longstanding tradition in wrestling and sends the highest number of wrestlers who represent India at major international events. A group of wrestlers have been protesting against the earlier chief of Wrestling Federation of India BJP's Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who had sexual abuse charges filed against him. The wrestlers accused Singh of failing to provide them with safety and demanded justice against the same. For the Khelo India, which aims to promote sports at the grassroots level, the state was allocated only 3% of the total budget, leading to dissatisfaction and criticism from the sports community due to a perceived imbalance in the distribution of resources and support for athletes in the state.
Campaigns
Bharatiya Janata Party
The BJP focused its campaign on highlighting its record of merit-based job creation and infrastructure development, and allegations of corruption during the previous Congress rule. Narendra Modi addressed four rallies and called the Congress the most "dishonest and deceitful" party. The BJP had earlier reshuffled its leadership and limited the campaigning of former chief minister Khattar, who had faced opposition for his views. Saini, who was not part of the earlier government, became the chief minister few months before the election. He had implemented several populist measures including merit-based recruitment for new government jobs, distribution plots to families below the poverty line, free bus travel to the poor, and regularisation of unauthorized colonies. The party emphasised the schemes and also frequently highlighted his background as an OBC leader. Additionally, the BJP dropped a third of its sitting legislators to counter the anti-incumbency sentiment and fielded more than 20 new candidates.
Indian National Congress
In July, the Congress released a charge sheet criticising the BJP government on issues like unemployment, unfilled government positions, increased crime, and alleged mistreatment of farmers. On 15 July, it launched the Haryana Maange Hisab Abhiyan campaign, which was aimed at visiting all 90 Assembly constituencies, exposing the government failures and gathering suggestions from the public for its election manifesto. Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Udai Bhan announced a 'Rath Yatra' after 20 August as a part of the campaign.
Manifestos
Bharatiya Janata Party
The BJP's manifesto was titled Non-Stop Haryana ka Sankalp Patra, which outlined 20 key promises to address various issues across the state. The party promised to provide ₹2,100 (US$22) monthly assistance to women under the "Lakshmi Yojana" scheme and health insurance coverage of up to ₹1 million (US$10,000) per family under the "Nirogi-Ayushman Yojana". The party also promised a minimum support price for 24 crops. It further pledged to create job opportunities for local youth in ten industrial cities, including a special provision for 50,000 new jobs and guaranteed government jobs for 2 lakh youths without an exam. The manifesto also included guarantees of affordable housing for 5 lakh individuals in urban and rural areas, availability of gas cylinders for ₹500 (US$5.20) under the "Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana", free tablets for students under the "Awasiya Balika Yojana", and the construction of five Olympic class stadiums. Additionally, the party promised new airports, high-speed rail corridors between major cities and industrial expressways. It also aimed to raise social pensions based on scientific formulas and provide loans up to ₹2.5 million (US$26,000) for the other backward classes (OBC) for starting new business. Other promises include increased medical and engineering opportunities for OBC students, interest-free loans for agricultural education, and the creation of a sports university and cultural center in the state.
Indian National Congress
The Congress's manifesto focused on women empowerment, support for the elderly and disabled, job security for the youth, and improvement of the lives of families, farmers, and OBCs. It promised ₹2,000 (US$21) per month assistance for women and gas cylinders for ₹500 (US$5.20). It also guaranteed pensions of ₹6,000 (US$62) to the elderly, disabled, and widows, and that the restoration of the old pension scheme for the government employees. For the youth, the party promised 2 lakh government jobs and eradication of drugs from the state. It also promised 300 units of free electricity, medical coverage up to ₹2.5 million (US$26,000), a 100-yard plot and a two-room house costing ₹0.35 million (US$3,600) for the poor. The farmers were promised a legal guarantee of MSP and quick compensation for crop losses. The OBCs were promised a caste based survey and an increase in the creamy layer limit to ₹1 million (US$10,000).
Surveys and polls
The exit polls were released on 5 October 2024 after the polling ended. Most of the exit polls predicted a victory for the Congress. However, in actual result the BJP formed the government.
Results
The BJP achieved its third consecutive victory in Haryana following the vote count for the October 5, 2024, assembly election, held on Tuesday. The party overcame 10 years of anti-incumbency and defied exit polls that had forecasted a decisive win for the opposition Congress. The BJP secured 48 seats in the 90-member assembly, while Indian National Congress, won 37 seats. Three independents and two candidates from the INLD also emerged victorious.
By alliance/party
By district
Region-wise result
The election saw a distinct geographical divide, with the ruling BJP maintaining its dominance in urban areas, while the Congress and other independent/regional candidates put up a highly competitive performance in rural and semi-rural constituencies. Out of the 90 assembly seats, 25 were classified as urban and 65 as rural.
By constituency
Allegations and controversy
On 5 November, 2025 Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi alleged vote fraud in the 2024 Haryana legislative assembly elections. He claimed theft of over 25 lakh votes in Haryana. He presented evidence including repeated use of the same photographic images in voter rolls and cited the case of a Brazilian mode's image, which appeared on multiple voter IDs across Haryana.
Rahul Gandhi mentioned a specific example of a BJP sarpanch from Uttar Pradesh in his allegations regarding fake voters in Haryana during the 2024 Assembly elections. He claimed that thousands of voters were registered both in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, violating electoral laws. Among these, he cited a BJP sarpanch named Dalchand, whose name and his son's name appeared on the voter lists in both UP and Haryana. Rahul pointed out that most of these dual-registered voters were BJP supporters or local leaders.
At the press conference, Rahul Gandhi showed the prior statement of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini confidently stated that he had the "system" (vayvastha (in hindi)) in place to ensure the BJP’s victory. He claimed that all arrangements were made properly for the BJP to win the election.
He also pointed to BJP leaders voting in multiple locations, addresses listed as "House no. Zero" being used fraudulently, and irregularities with postal ballots never seen before in Haryana. He stated that the Congress party physically verified some of these "House No. 0" addresses and found actual houses there, showing that the explanation by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was false and misleading. He also dismissed Ganesh Kumar's claim that "House No. 0" voters were poor or homeless, saying this was a method to hide fraudulent voters. He presented examples such as a two-storey house registered as "House No. 0" and cases where multiple voters were registered at one address that physically could not exist. Gandhi accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the BJP in this "systematic theft of democracy," presenting what he called "100% proof" to back his claims.
Although none of these allegations have been justified by a court or any news outlet.
Reactions
While the BJP celebrated their victory and hailed the elections as historic, the Congress rejected the Haryana election results, citing irregularities in certain districts and raising concerns about the functioning of EVMs. During a press conference, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera declared that the party would not fully accept the outcome, though senior state leaders have conceded. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh suggested that in constituencies where more EVMs which were found to have high battery levels (99%) during the counting process, the BJP had won while in those with lower levels, the Congress won; EVM batteries last the full election cycle.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has denied that it had received complaints about EVM batteries from candidates or polling agents during the process. The ECI also dismissed earlier complaints from the Congress about a slowdown in result updates as ill-founded.
Several leaders and political parties have raised concerns about EVM manipulation over the preceding years, while the ECI has consistently maintained that EVMs cannot be manipulated. In April 2024, the Supreme Court had rejected a plea which sought either a return to paper ballots or 100% VVPAT slip counting. The BJP alleges that the opposition makes these accusations when they face defeat.