Key candidates in Haryana elections 2024: Haryana is all set to go to polls on October 5 and counting of votes will be on October 8. The polling for all the 90 constituencies in Haryana will take place from 7 am to 6 pm. There are 1,031 candidates in the fray, 101 of them women. More than two crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Haryana Assembly Elections 2024. The key contesting parties are BJP, Congress, AAP, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party.
Here are the prominent candidates contesting in Haryana Assembly elections 2024:
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini – Ladwa
BJP leader and incumbent Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini is contesting from the Ladwa Assembly seat in Kurukshetra district. Saini will contest from his fourth constituency since the 2014 Assembly polls after the BJP picked him as its candidate from the Ladwa seat. In 2014, Saini had successfully contested the Naraingarh Assembly seat and, five years later, won from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin of over 6.8 lakh votes. He has declared assets worth over Rs 5 crore, according to ADR report.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda – Garhi Sampla-Kiloi
Haryana Congress veteran and Leader of the Opposition, Bhupinder Singh Hooda is contesting from the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district. The two-time chief minister and four-time MP has declared assets worth over Rs 26 crore. Although the Congress has not officially declared any CM candidate, it is speculated that the Jat leader could be leading the state if the party comes to power. Haryana has nearly 27% Jat voters, who play a key role in determining the outcome in about 40 seats.
Abhay Singh Chautala – Ellenabad
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) general secretary Abhay Singh Chautala is contesting from the Ellenabad constituency in Sirsa district. He won from the seat in the last polls bagging 57,055 votes or 37.9% votes defeating his nearest rival BJP candidate who secured 45,133 votes. He also won the 2014 polls bagging 69,162 votes. He has declared assets worth over Rs 61 crore.
Dushyant Chautala – Uchana Kalan
Dushyant Chautala, 36, is contesting from the Uchana Kalan Assembly constituency in Jind district. He had emerged as a kingmaker after the 2019 elections as his Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) helped the BJP form a coalition government. However, the BJP dumped the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and with the help of Independents continued to retain power. In the 2019 polls, the JJP secured 14.9% of the vote share and won 10 of the 87 seats it contested.
Vinesh Phogat – Julana
Wrestler-turned-politician and Congress candidate for Haryana Assembly polls Vinesh Phogat is contesting from the Julana seat in Jind district. Although she hails from Charkhi Dadri district, Julana is her in-laws’ house. She was announced as the party’s candidate in its first list, just hours after she along with Bajrang Punia joined the grand-old party. The two Olympians were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Captain Abhimanyu – Narnaund
Abhimanyu, a former Army officer turned businessman and politician, is a prominent Jat leader representing the BJP. He is contesting from the Narnaund constituency in Hisar district and is the wealthiest candidate in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections, with assets exceeding Rs 491 crore. A Harvard graduate, Abhimanyu left the Army in 1994 after six years of service. Although he was selected for the Indian Administrative Services, he chose not to pursue that path. He gained recognition during the 2014 BJP campaign, where he was appointed national secretary and later general secretary of the Haryana BJP.
Savitri Jindal – Hisar
Savitri Jindal, chairperson of the O P Jindal Group, is India’s richest woman and is contesting the upcoming elections as an Independent candidate. Her assets are declared at over Rs 270 crore, making her the second wealthiest candidate in the race. Her son, Naveen Jindal, is the BJP MP from Kurukshetra. Following the death of her husband, Om Prakash Jindal, in a 2005 helicopter crash, Savitri entered politics, winning the Hisar bypoll and serving as a minister in the Hooda government. In August, Forbes ranked her as the wealthiest woman in India, with the Jindal Group valued at $39.5 billion.