Exit polls: Congress to win Haryana, hung House in J&K
Exit polls have predicted a victory for the Congress in the Haryana Assembly elections. If these predictions turn out to be true, the Congress will return to power in the state after a decade—following the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s rule since 2014. The NDTV poll of polls predicts that the Congress will secure between 55 to 65 seats in the state. Voting for the 90-member Haryana Assembly concluded on Saturday at 6:00pm.
Over 1,000 candidates contest for 90 seats in Haryana elections
A total of 1,031 candidates across 90 assembly constituencies contested in this election. To accommodate voters, 20,632 polling booths were set up throughout Haryana. In the last Haryana Assembly elections held in 2019, the BJP won 40 out of 90 seats. This led to the formation of a coalition government with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which later withdrew from the coalition The results of these elections will be declared on October 8, alongside those from Jammu and Kashmir.
Congress-National Conference alliance leads in J&K
In Jammu and Kashmir, most pollsters have predicted that the Congress-National Conference alliance will win majority of the 90 seats. Dainik Bhaskar has predicted 35-40 seats out of the 90 assembly seats, Axis My India 35-45, India Today-C Voter has predicted 40-48, and People's Pulse 46-50. The BJP, on the other hand, is predicted to win 20-25 seats, according to Dainik Bhaskar, 24-34 by Axis My India, 27-32 by India Today-C Voter, and 23-27 by People's Pulse.
Local news channel predicts hung assembly in J&K
Local news, meanwhile, have predicted a hung assembly in J&K. According to an exit poll conducted by the local news channel Gulistan, the BJP is projected to win between 28 and 30 seats, with the NC also securing the same number of seats. The Congress is predicted to win three to six seats, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) is anticipated to secure five to seven seats. Other parties are expected to claim between eight and 16 seats.
Why J&K assembly elections are significant
The J&K assembly elections are particularly significant for several reasons. They were the first election since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which stripped the region of its special status under the Indian Constitution. It was also the first time the region voted as a Union Territory, following the bifurcation that created Ladakh as a separate Union Territory. Additionally, this election came after a fresh delimitation of assembly constituencies, shaping the electoral landscape in new ways.
