Business OpportunitiesPolling begins in Haryana
Voting to elect 90 legislatures in Haryana began early this morning amid tight security, officials said.
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More than 1.31 crore eligible voters, including 59 lakh women, will decide the fate of 1,222 candidates in fray for 90 Assembly seats in the state.
As many as 13,524 polling stations have been set up across the state and among them 3,214 have been identified as vulnerable, the officials said.
After it won nine of the ten Lok Sabha polls, ruling Congress advanced the Assembly polls seven months before the schedule.
The major parties in the fray include Congress, BJP, Indian National Lok Dal, BSP and Haryana Janhit Congress.
The prominent contestants include Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, his ministerial colleagues -- Birender Singh, Kiran Choudhry and Randeep Singh Surjewala, former Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala, INLD"s Secretary General Ajay Chautala, State BJP chief Krishan Pal Gujjar, State BSP chief Prakash Bharti and Haryana Janhit Congress (BL) supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi.
Shiromani Akali Dal led by Punjab"s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is contesting on two seats in the state.
Blind voters would be able to cast their ballot through ballot paper prepared in braille. In case of physically challenged voters, ramp facility has been provided at all the polling stations.
The Election Commission has put 90 observers and 5,496 micro observers on duty.
About 4,909 video cameras and 1,497 digital cameras have been fitted at the polling stations to assist the observers in ensuring smooth conduct of polls.