11 Oct : Over a month-long high-pitched campaigning came to an end on Sunday evening for the Haryana Assembly elections as top leadership of different parties made their bid to woo the voters, with focus now shifting to 13th October when fate of over 1200 contestants will be sealed in the EVMs.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi addressed election meetings at Nuh and Jhajjar while BJP chief Rajnath Singh also campaigned at Badshahpur, Bahadurgarh and Dadri on the last day of campaigning.
Earlier, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior BJP leader L K Advani, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP chief Mayawati were among those who sought votes for their party candidates.
In Haryana, Congress is seeking a second term in office on the plank of development. The opposition in the state is a house divided with BJP snapping tie up with Om Prakash Chautala’s INLD and BSP coming out of an alliance with Haryana Janhit Congress.
With multi-cornered contest on all the 90 seats, among those whose fortunes will be tested include Hooda, Finance Minister Birender Singh and Om Prakash Chautala.
A total of 1,222 candidates, including 67 women, which is the second highest number of women contesting the polls in the State.
Congress appears to be on a strong wicket in Arunachal Pradesh where Chief Minister Khandu Dorjee is among three party candidates elected unopposed.
In Maharashtra, the high-pitch campaign saw Shiv Sena and MNS fighting for the same political space and the ruling Congress-NCP aiming a hat-trick.
The NCP, a major partner of the Congress- led coalition, has been battling hard to retain its position in the wake of its poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, seeking to challenge the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in Maharashtra, was dubbed as a “frog” by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan while Raj projected Shiv Sena Working President Uddhav Thackeray as a “snake”.
The state goes to polls on Tuesday under the shadow of the gruesome Naxal attack in Gadchiroli district.
7,56,34,525 votes in Maharashtra will elect 288 MLAs, while 1,20,63,257 electors in Haryana will choose 90 legislators. Arunachal Pradesh has 7,50,575 voters who will select 60 representatives.
Counting of votes will take place on 22nd October.