Haryana will hold its assembly elections on October 1, with results set to be announced on October 4, the Election Commission said on Friday. The Haryana assembly has 90 seats, including 73 General and 17 Scheduled Castes (SC) seats.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar revealed that over 2 crore voters will cast their ballots at 20,629 polling stations, comprising 7,132 urban and 13,497 rural locations. Over 10,000 centenarian voters will participate in this democratic process. Polling booths will also be established in high-rise buildings in urban centres such as Gurugram, Sonepat, and Faridabad.

“We are ready to hold inclusive and accessible elections,” Kumar said.

With the current assembly term ending on November 3, election officials recently inspected Haryana’s preparedness for the polls.

The major parties appear to be contesting independently, with no pre-poll alliances announced. The BJP, under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, will vie for all 90 seats solo, as declared by Home Minister Amit Shah in June. Meanwhile, Haryana Congress head Bhupinder Hooda has confirmed that there is no alliance with the AAP led by jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, despite their joint efforts in the Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP won 40 seats and formed a government with Dushyant Chautala’s JJP, which secured 10 seats. The opposition Congress won 31 seats.

Just hours before the election announcement, Chief Minister Saini released the first installment of a Rs 2,000-per-acre bonus for over 5.20 lakh farmers affected by a rain deficit this year. He also unveiled plans for veterinary polyclinics in eight districts and a Rs 3 lakh insurance cover for dairy farmers earning less than Rs 3 lakh annually.

The election announcement triggers the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), during which the government is restricted from announcing major policies or schemes until the vote counting is completed.