Know what is Asoj Amavasya, due to which the date of Haryana elections changed

Haryana Assembly Election Date 2024: The Election Commission has changed the date of the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Elections for 90 seats of Haryana Assembly elections will now be held on October 5 instead of October 1. The election results will be declared on October 8. The commission has also decided to declare the results of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on October 8. Earlier, the election results in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir were to be declared on October 4.

The Election Commission has decided to change the date of Haryana Assembly elections due to a major festival of the Bishnoi community. Actually, the Commission had received a memorandum from the National President of All India Bishnoi Mahasabha Bikaner (Rajasthan). It was told that ‘Asoj Amavasya’ is on 2 October. On this day, a large number of people of Bishnoi community from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana come to their ancestral village Mukam in Rajasthan on the Asoj Amavasya festival in the memory of Guru Jambeshwar.

This year the festival is on October 2 and thousands of Bishnoi families living in Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar will travel to Rajasthan on this day. As a result, they will not be able to exercise their voting rights.

What is Asoj Amavasya?
Asoj Amavasya is a major festival of the Bishnoi community. This festival is celebrated in the memory of Guru Jambeshwar, the founder of the Bishnoi community. Guru Jambeshwar attained Samadhi in a village called Mukam in Bikaner, Rajasthan. This place is now called Mukti Dham. There is a belief in the Bishnoi community that those who serve here selflessly attain salvation.

Every year two major fairs are organized in Mukam Mandir. The first is on Falgun Amavasya and the second is on Asoj Amavasya. It is said 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. All the arrangements for this fair are done by All India Bishnoi Mahasabha and All India Guru Jambeshwar Sevak Dal.

Every year on the occasion of Asoj Amavasya, people from far flung areas of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan come here and pay obeisance at Muktidham. This time the fair of Asoj Amavasya will be organized on 2 October. Due to this, the National President of All India Bishnoi Mahasabha Bikaner (Rajasthan) had requested the Election Commission to change the date of Haryana Assembly elections.