High-stakes BJP vs Congress contest as Haryana votes today

Haryana recorded an overall voter turnout of 36.69 per cent in the first six hours of polling as the state votes to elect 90 legislators in a single-phase Assembly election on Saturday in a multi-cornered battle. Polling in some regions crossed 42 per cent till 1 pm, with officials calling it an “encouraging trend”.
“This is a very encouraging trend, and I am confident that we will achieve a good overall voter turnout,” a senior poll body official said earlier today, also noting, “If we calculate the average so far, I believe we should aim for at least a 70-75 per cent voter turnout, and it could even be higher”.
The voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm as the ruling BJP is eyeing a hat-trick of Assembly election wins, while the Congress is hoping to return to power after 10 years.
The polls will determine the political fate of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat, JJP leader Dushyant Chautala, and 1,027 other candidates.