The political fate of key figures such as Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Vinesh Phogat, and JJP's Dushyant Chautala, along with over 1,000 other candidates, will be decided today as Haryana heads to the polls to vote for its 90 assembly seats.

The ruling BJP is seeking a third consecutive term in power, while Congress aims to return to power after a decade. Other major contenders include the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and Azad Samaj Party (ASP).

The BJP's election campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held several rallies attacking the Congress on various issues, including its handling of national matters such as the Ram temple issue. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held multiple public meetings, predicting a "Congress storm" in Haryana and promising a government that would prioritize the poor and farmers, and spread love across the state.

Congress ceded the Bhiwani assembly seat to its INDIA bloc ally, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M). On the other hand, the BJP opted not to contest the Sirsa seat, where Haryana Lokhit Party chief Gopal Kanda is running for re-election.

The elections are expected to see direct competition between the BJP and Congress in most constituencies. Key battles include CM Nayab Singh Saini (Ladwa), Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), and BJP heavyweights like Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), and OP Dhankar (Badli). Other notable candidates include AAP’s Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress's Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

The BJP has also fielded Bhavya Bishnoi, grandson of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, in Adampur, and Arti Rao, daughter of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, in Ateli. Several prominent independent candidates are also in the fray, including Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania), and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).

In Uchana, Dushyant Chautala faces a challenge from Congress's Brijendra Singh, son of former Union Minister Birender Singh. Notably, several candidates from political dynasties are contesting, including Shruti Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhary, cousins running against each other in Tosham, and Aditya Devi Lal, an INLD candidate contesting in Dabwali against JJP's Digvijay Singh Chautala, both great-grandsons of former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal.

In the 2019 assembly election, the BJP won 40 seats, Congress secured 31, and the JJP took 10. The BJP formed the government with the support of the JJP and independent candidates. However, the alliance ended when the BJP replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as Chief Minister in March.

Haryana's Director General of Police, Shatrujeet Kapur, confirmed that over 30,000 police personnel and 225 paramilitary companies have been deployed to ensure a peaceful election. Among the 2.02 crore registered voters, 1.07 crore are men, 95 lakh are women, and 467 are transgenders. The total number of service voters stands at 1.09 lakh, while 8,821 voters are aged over 100. Voter turnout in the 2019 assembly elections was around 68%, and the results of this election will be declared on October 8.