The Election Commission changed the date of Haryana assembly elections… What is the centuries-old tradition of the Bishnoi community?

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday changed the voting date for the Haryana Assembly elections. The Election Commission has changed the voting date for the single-phase assembly elections in Haryana to October 5. Earlier, voting was to be held on October 1. The Election Commission said, ‘This decision has been taken to respect the franchise and traditions of the Bishnoi community, who have maintained the centuries-old practice of celebrating Asoj Amavasya festival in memory of their guru Jambheshwar.’ The Commission’s notification said, ‘This may affect the voting rights of a large number of people and this may reduce the participation of voters in the general election of Haryana Legislative Assembly.’

Earlier, the Bishnoi Mahasabha had requested that many families from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana are following a long-standing tradition. This community visits their ancestral village Mukam in Rajasthan during the new moon day of the month of ‘Asoj’ for the annual festival held in Bikaner district in memory of Guru Jambheshwar. This year the festival will be on October 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families living in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar will travel to Rajasthan on the day of voting, due to which they will be deprived of the right to vote.

Know about ‘Asoj Amavasya’

Asoj Amavasya is a special festival of Bishnoi community. This festival is celebrated in the memory of Guru Jambheshwar, the founder of Bishnoi community. This festival is celebrated every year on 2 October. Guru Jambheshwar took samadhi in Mukam village of Bikaner district of Rajasthan. This place is now called Mukti Dham. People of Bishnoi community celebrate Asoj Amavasya in the memory of Guru Jambheshwar. Two fairs are organized every year in Mukam temple. The first is on Falgun Amavasya and the second on Asoj Amavasya. It is believed that the fair on Falgun Amavasya has been organized since a long time. But the fair on Asoj Amavasya was started by Saint Vilhoji in 1591 AD. It is believed in Bishnoi community that those who serve selflessly here get salvation.

What is the new schedule for elections and counting?

The Election Commission has changed the voting date for Haryana assembly elections. The Election Commission has changed the voting date for the single-phase assembly elections in Haryana to October 5. Earlier, voting was to be held on October 1. Now voting will be held on October 5 instead of October 1. At the same time, voting in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases, the first phase on September 18, the second phase on September 25 and the third and final phase on October 1. The election results of both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana will be declared on October 8. The Election Commission on Saturday changed the counting date for Haryana assembly elections to October 8, citing the centuries-old festival of the Bishnoi community.