The Election Commission of India has changed the dates of Haryana elections. The commission has revised the voting day for Haryana from October 1 to October 5, 2024. Similarly, the counting day for Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assembly elections has been changed from October 4 to October 8. There has been no change in the voting dates in Jammu and Kashmir.
Many political parties including BJP had requested the commission to change the dates of elections in Haryana. After this, the commission has changed the dates.
Giving information about this, the Election Commission said that this decision has been taken to respect both the voting rights and traditions of the Bishnoi community. The Commission said that the Bishnoi community has maintained the centuries-old tradition of participating in the Asoj Amavasya festival in memory of Guru Jambheshwar.
State BJP president Mohan Lal Baroli had written a letter to the Election Commission of India and the Chief Election Officer of Haryana demanding extension of the polling date. In the letter written to the commission, the BJP had argued that 28 and 29 September are Saturday and Sunday. There is a holiday on 1 October due to polling. Gandhi Jayanti is on 2 October and Agrasen Jayanti is on 3 October. With the holiday on 30, there is a long weekend of six days. In such a situation, people may go out of the state to celebrate holidays, which may affect the polling percentage.
Religious rituals of Bishnoi society are also cited
BJP had also argued in its letter that due to Asoj Amavasya on October 2, there is a religious ritual of Bishnoi community in Mukam village of Bikaner. For this, many people of Bishnoi community reach on October 1 itself. This can also affect the voting percentage. BJP had also told the commission that while keeping the next date, it should be kept in mind that there should not be a holiday a day before the date of voting and the day after the voting. By doing this, maximum number of people will be able to participate in the voting.
It is worth noting that the Election Commission had announced the date of the election last week. According to the earlier schedule, the notification for the election was to be issued on September 5. The voting was to be held on October 1 and the results were to be declared on October 4, but now there has been a change in it.