EC defers Haryana polls to Oct 5, counting Oct 8

NEW DELHI: Election Commission on Saturday rescheduled the polling date in Haryana to Oct 5 to secure the voting rights of the state's sizable Bishnoi community, and accordingly revised the counting date for both Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir to Oct 8.

As per the original schedule announced on Aug 16, polling in Haryana was to be held on Oct 1 along with the last round of voting in J&K, followed by counting for both the states on Oct 4. J&K will still wind up polling as scheduled on Oct 1, but shall have to wait longer, till Oct 8, for the results.

The decision to change the Haryana poll date - which followed the receipt of representations a week ago from parties like BJP and INLD, as well as All India Bishnoi Mahasabha, Bikaner - "was taken to honour the age-old tradition of the Bishnoi community of visiting their native village Mukam (Rajasthan) during 'amavas' in the month of 'Asoj' for their annual festival in Bikaner district, in memory of their Guru Jambheshwar," an EC functionary told TOI.

"This year, the festival falls on Oct 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families residing in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar would be travelling to Rajasthan from Oct 1 (the original poll day in Haryana). Unless the polling was rescheduled, they would be denied their voting rights," the functionary added.