NEW DELHI: The Haryana Unit of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has urged the Election Commission to postpone the Assembly elections scheduled for October 1, citing the list of holidays which could impact the polling percentage.
Haryana BJP chief Mohan Lal Badoli in his letter to the poll panel, highlighted that Saturday, September 28 is a holiday for many, while Sunday is also a holiday. October 1 is a poll holiday in the state which is followed by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, which is a holiday and October 3 is also a holiday on account of Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti.”
He also pointed out that the Bishnoi community, a significant voter base in Haryana, would likely be absent on October 1 due to their annual pilgrimage to Mukam village in Rajasthan. He further said that due to these extended holidays, there are possibilities that “people might move out of the state for a vacation which could reduce the polling percentage.”
Urging the poll panel to postpone the schedule for the Haryana elections on October 1, on account of the long spell of holidays between August 28 to October 3, the BJP leader expressed hope that their request would be noted and appropriate measures would be taken to address this issue.
It is pertinent to note here that Badoli in his letter, also highlighted the incidence of when the poll panel in 2022 postponed the Punjab Assembly elections from February 14 to February 20, on account of Ravidas Jayanti on February 16. This request from the poll panel has sparked off a political debate, with Congress stalwart and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda asserting that the saffron party has already accepted defeat.
The ruling saffron party is eyeing a third consecutive term while Congress is looking to wrest power from BJP.