Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini visited Saini Samaj Dharamshala in Kurukshetra today, shortly before the counting of votes for the assembly election, and expressed confidence the BJP would retain power in the northern state.

Mr Saini contested the election from Ladwa constituency of Kurukshetra district. He said the BJP’s work on the development front in the last 10 years will ensure the party sails through this time, too.

The exit polls have forecast a Congress win in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir – though exit polls often get it wrong.

“We have done a lot of development work in the last 10 years. The kind of system set up by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will continue to bring benefits for Haryana for a long time,” Mr Saini told reporters this morning.

“It is our responsibility to take this good work forward,” he added.

The Haryana assembly has 90 seats. Postal ballots will be counted first, followed by electronic voting machines (EVMs) 30 minutes later.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said 93 counting centres have been set up for the 90 assembly constituencies in 22 districts of Haryana.

An FIR has been filed against Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair for allegedly inciting protests against Dasna Devi temple priest Yati Narsinghanand. Zubair’s posts allegedly led to a demonstration, prompting police to impose prohibitory orders. The charges against Zubair include promoting enmity and defamation. Ten protesters were arrested amid heightened security and tension in Ghaziabad.

Authorities dismantled an illegal structure built by Baba Chaitanya Akash near Devi Kund in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve after a strenuous two-day trek. The unauthorized construction sparked local outrage over environmental concerns, prompting a swift response from officials to uphold ecological protections.