New Delhi: The Election Commission has not taken a call on postponing the Haryana assembly polls, sources said on Tuesday, amid demands by the BJP and the INLD arguing that holidays before and after the voting day on October 1 could lead to a lower turnout.
Sources in the know said the issue has so far not been discussed by the poll authority.
The 90-member Haryana assembly will go to polls in a single phase on October 1.
Varinder Garg, a member of the BJP’s state election management committee, said last week, “We have reasoned that Assembly election date of October 1 is preceded by holiday on weekend and followed by some holidays which may hit the voting percentage as people tend to go on vacation on long weekends which are followed by holidays.”
“Saturday (September 28) is a holiday for many, while Sunday is 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 said.
The counting of votes for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir is slated for October 4.
The notification for the assembly elections will be issued on September 5, 2024.
