Election Commission postpones Haryana polls to October 5. Result to be announced in Jammu assembly elections on October 8 – India TV

Parliamentary elections 2024: The Election Commission of India (ECI) today (August 31) postponed the polling day for the Haryana Legislative Assembly elections from October 1 to October 5 this year and also advanced the counting of votes for the Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Legislative Assemblies from October 4 (Friday) to October 8 (Tuesday).

The decision was taken to honour both the right to vote and the traditions of the Bishnoi community, which, according to the ECI, follows the centuries-old tradition of taking part in the Asoj Amavasya celebration in memory of their Guru Jambheshwar. The commission said it received a representation from the National President of the All India Bishnoi Mahasabha, Bikaner (Rajasthan) on the postponement of the polling date to October 1.

As has been the custom for generations, many families in Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana maintain a long-standing tradition of visiting their home village Mukam in Rajasthan during the Amavas in the month of ‘Asoj’ to celebrate their annual festival in Bikaner district in memory of their Guru Jambheshwar.

This year, the festival is on October 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families living in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar would travel to Rajasthan on polling day, denying them their right to vote, the Election Commission of India said. In the past, the commission has also adjusted polling dates to take into account the sentiments of different communities.

For example, the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections were postponed by a week to allow devotees to travel to Varanasi to celebrate Guru Ravidas Jayanti. In Manipur too, the Commission changed the polling dates for the 2022 legislative assemblies to respect the Sunday prayers of the Christian community.

Similarly, in the 2023 Rajasthan assembly elections, the Commission has postponed the polls originally scheduled for Devuthani Ekadashi, a day significant for mass weddings in Rajasthan. In the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the polling date was postponed due to Barawafat. Coincidentally, the revised polling date would also address any concerns about taking a six-day holiday by taking a day off on September 30, 2024, the Election Commission said.