The campaign for the Haryana Assembly elections came to a close on Thursday evening, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aiming for a third consecutive term, while the Congress seeks to make a comeback after a decade. Before the campaign officially ended at 6 pm, the BJP, Congress, AAP, INLD-BSP, and JJP-Azad Samaj Party held rallies and roadshows to attract voters.
The polling will be held for all 90 constituencies on October 5, from 7 am to 6 pm. A total of 20,629 polling booths have been set up.
On the final day of campaigning, senior BJP leader Ashok Tanwar joined the Congress at Rahul Gandhi's rally in Mahendragarh. Prior to this, Tanwar had been campaigning for a BJP candidate in the Safidon constituency.
Key campaigners included Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, BJP's Yogi Adityanath and Nayab Singh Saini, JJP’s Dushyant Chautala, and INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP's campaign, holding four rallies where he attacked the Congress on various issues, including the Ram temple dispute, and called the party “the biggest anti-Dalit party” focused on vote appeasement.
Modi also accused the Congress of corruption, calling it a party of “middlemen” and “dalals” and claimed it had taken a "new form" of urban Naxalism. He criticized the Congress for its handling of jobs in Haryana, alleging that every employment opportunity under its government involved “kharchi and parchi” (bribery and favoritism).
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, campaigning in Nuh and other areas, criticised the Modi government over issues such as unemployment, the Agniveer scheme, and farmers' welfare. He also accused the BJP of working for a select group of billionaires and neglecting the needs of the common people. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, during his own campaign, alleged that Modi has failed to fulfill his promises to voters.
AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, campaigning for his party, claimed that no government could be formed in Haryana without AAP's support, while also criticising the BJP and calling for 'badlav' (change) in the state. He said that the public would oust the ruling party in the upcoming elections.
The Congress has made several promises in its campaign, including a legal guarantee for MSP, a caste survey, and Rs 2,000 per month for women if it comes to power. The BJP, in contrast, has pledged Rs 2,100 per month for women, two lakh government jobs, and guaranteed employment for 'Agniveers' from the state.
A total of 1,031 candidates are in the fray, 101 of whom are women. Prominent candidates include Chief Minister 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), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), and Congress's Vinesh Phogat (Julana).
Notable independent candidates include Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania), and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt). In the 2019 assembly polls, the BJP won 40 seats and the Congress 31. The BJP formed the government with support from JJP, but the alliance ended after Manohar Lal Khattar was replaced by Nayab Singh Saini as Chief Minister in March.