Will try our best for non-BJP govt in Haryana: Kharge

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday asserted the party has "good numbers" in Haryana and efforts will be made to ensure that a non-BJP government is formed in the state.

He made the comments as the BJP and Congress are in a neck-to-neck fight, with both parties failing to cross the majority mark of 46 in the 90-member state assembly.

"This indicates that people have a different opinion about the BJP. People thought they will redress the grievances of people. But that was not there and people are shifting away from the BJP," Kharge told ANI.

"We will try our best for a non-BJP government. We have good numbers. We need to keep the BJP away because they will use all tactics to remain in power. In Maharashtra and Haryana, they (BJP) are not getting the numbers what they had expected," he said.

Kharge remarked that a meeting will be held with Congress leaders at 4 pm today to discuss the next course of action.

Accusing the BJP of "destroying democracy", the Congress leader said, "They are autocratic, dividing the people and taking representatives from Congress, NCP and other parties. This means that they do not have their own strength. This is not the way. People are not accepting their ideology."

Meanwhile, BJP has won 12 assembly seats and is ahead in 26. The Congress, on the other hand, is a close second, having won nine seats and leading on 25, according to the official trends released by the Election Commission of India.

At the time of filing this report, the Jannayak Janta Party emerged victorious in five constituencies and is ahead in five. The Haryana Lokhit Party won one seat.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called on the rival parties of BJP to come together to form a strong coalition government in the state.

Asserting that the mandate by the people of Haryana has been against the incumbent BJP government, Hooda said, "The time has come for Congress, JJP, INLD, and independents to come together to form a strong government. I assure that each of them will be respected and given a respectable position."

Elections for the 90 Assembly seats in Haryana were held on October 21.