Chandigarh, Oct 19  The Congress may win the Haryana assembly elections, but it is widely believed that its three leading lights may not be able to match their own earlier victory margins.

Although Congress leaders claimed after the Oct 13 ballot that they would again form the government, they admit privately that they faced a tough challenge.

With counting of votes scheduled for Thursday, everyone is keeping their fingers crossed.

Leading the pack is Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Hooda, who did not contest the February 2005 assembly election but was made the chief minister by the Congress, got elected in a by-election in June 2005 by a record margin.

Hooda won from Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district by a margin of over 103,000 votes - securing 96 percent of the total votes polled.

His nearest rival, Azad Singh of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), lost his security deposit. He got only 3,063 votes.

Haryana's flamboyant Tourism, Forests and Sports Minister Kiran Chaudhary won the Tosham seat by over 125,000 votes - securing an incredible 99 percent of the total votes polled.

Her nearest rival, independent Mangal Singh, polled just 338 votes against her 125,846 votes.

In the June by-election on the third seat, Hisar, Savitri Jindal, head of the multi-billion Jindal steel empire and now a minister in the Hooda government, recorded a margin of more than 102,000 votes - securing nearly 96 percent of the total votes.

Chaudhary and Jindal's husbands, Surender Singh and billionaire steel industrialist O. P. Jindal, died in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in March 2005.

The crash of the chopper, privately owned by Jindal, took place days after both became ministers in the Hooda government.

The main opposition INLD did not put up any candidate against both women. Though the INLD claimed it respected the deceased ministers, the fact was that the party did not stand a chance in these seats.

The record margins of all three candidates eclipsed the highest victory margin of the 2005 assembly election secured by former chief minister Bhajan Lal. He won his traditional Adampur seat by nearly 71,000 votes.

The highest victory margin in any assembly election earlier was 86,011 votes secured by Abhey Singh Chautala, the younger son of former chief minister and INLD president Om Prakash Chautala. This happened in a by-election from Rori in 2000.