Although the Indian National Congress is lagging behind the BJP in the Haryana elections, history repeated itself in the Badli assembly seat in Haryana as Kuldeep Vats of the Congress Party emerged victorious, defeating BJP's Om Prakash Dhankar, the former Haryana BJP president, by a margin of 68,160 votes. The counting of the votes began at 8 am today. Other major contenders here were JJP’s Krishna Silana, and independent candidate Ajit Gulia Jeete.

How many candidates were in the fray?

The stakes were high here with 9 candidates contesting.

What was the 2019 mandate in Badli?

In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, similar to the 2024 election, Kuldeep Vats of the INC won the seat. He defeated Omprakash Dhankhar of the BJP by a margin of 11,245 votes, which was 9.29 percent of the total votes cast. The INC garnered a vote share of 37.54 percent, indicating a competitive political environment.

What are the issues for Badli residents this election?

The electorate size in Badli is around 1.2 lakh, and local issues such as pollution, infrastructure, and public safety are taking centre stage.