223 Candidates Including 16 Women to Contest in Haryana Lok Sabha Elections

Haryana's electoral landscape is set for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Karnal Assembly seat elections, with a total of 223 candidates, including 16 women, finalizing their nominations. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Aggarwal confirmed the closure of the nomination withdrawal process on Thursday, setting the stage for the electoral battle across 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Karnal Assembly seat, also gearing up for a bypoll, will see nine candidates vying for victory, albeit with no female contenders.

The elections are scheduled for May 25, with a significant male majority among the candidates. For the Lok Sabha seats, 207 out of the 223 candidates are male. A closer look at the gender distribution reveals that Hisar leads with three women candidates out of 28, while Kurukshetra boasts the highest number of contenders at 31, including just one woman. Ambala and Rohtak each have two women candidates among their ranks, highlighting a modest female representation in this electoral contest.

Notably, Sonipat stands out as a constituency without any female candidates among its 22 hopefuls. Other constituencies like Sirsa and Karnal have minimal female participation, with one and two women candidates respectively. The Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and Faridabad constituencies also follow this trend, each fielding two women candidates.

The political arena in Haryana is witnessing a multi-cornered contest with major parties like BJP, Congress, JJP, and INLD throwing their hats in the ring. The AAP, part of the opposition's INDIA bloc, is contesting in Kurukshetra, indicating a fiercely competitive environment. Notable figures such as Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who succeeded Manohar Lal Khattar in March, are contesting from Karnal assembly seat.

Prominent candidates for the Lok Sabha seats include Khattar from Karnal and BJP's Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra. INLD's Abhay Chautala and AAP's Sushil Gupta are also key contenders in Kurukshetra. Hisar will witness a contest among BJP's Ranjit Singh Chautala, Congress' Jai Prakash, and JJP's Naina Chautala. Union ministers Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishan Pal Gurjar are seeking re-election from Gurgaon and Faridabad respectively.

Voter Engagement

CEO Aggarwal has made a fervent appeal to nearly two crore voters in Haryana to exercise their democratic right by participating in the upcoming polls. Emphasizing the importance of every vote, Aggarwal's call to action aims to bolster voter turnout and ensure robust participation in the democratic process.

The election schedule was set into motion with the nomination process beginning on April 29. Following the deadline for nominations on May 6, scrutiny was conducted on May 7. The final list of candidates was confirmed after the withdrawal deadline on May 9 at 3 pm.

As Haryana gears up for these crucial elections, all eyes are on how these contests will shape the political landscape of the state. With a diverse array of candidates and intense competition among major political parties, the upcoming polls are poised to be a significant event in Haryana's electoral history.