J&K Political Leaders Reject Exit Poll Predictions

Srinagar: The political parties in Jammu and Kashmir and their leaderships seem unimpressed by the exit polls most of which have predicted a hung assembly in the Union Territory and a few show that the National Conference (NC)-Congress combine may take the lead yet miss the majority mark of 46. Some of them have called the projections as inaccurate and for others these are swerved.

While the Congress is claiming a win of over fifty out of the 90 seats for it and its alliance partner, the BJP has dismissed the exit poll projections as flawed. “We will get more than forty seats including, at least, two in the Kashmir Valley and with independents and others whom we supported in the elections we will cross the fifty mark,” said a BJP leader.

Ravinder Raina, president of the J&K unit of the BJP too has termed the exit polls as inaccurate and claimed that his party will form a government on its own in J&K. “We are going to win these elections and form the government with a comfortable majority. We will not only retain all the 25 seats in the Jammu region that we won in the 2014 elections but also add more to our kitty this time. In the Kashmir Valley, we may win the Karnah and Gurez seats and our friends among the independents and the nominees of other political groups who too are going to win through will join us,” he said.

In Delhi, the BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari exuded confidence that the party will secure the majority of seats and form the government on its own. He said, “We are confident that, whether in Jammu or the Valley, the party will secure pro-development votes…. A BJP government will be formed in J&K. The feedback received from the polling has strongly indicated this. The elections held after the abrogation of Article 370 were a historic moment and a victory for democracy.”

On the other hand, former JKPCC chief and AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir claimed that the NC-Congress alliance will win 55 seats hands down. “Both in the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region, the people have voted for change and are sending the BJP packing. We will win, at least, 55 seats and several winners from outside the alliance too are going to come forward and support us,” he said.

The People’s Democratic Party, the J&K Apni Party, the People’s Conference and other regional parties and groups too have taken the exit polls with a pinch of salt whereas the former chief minister and NC vice president said it was better to ignore the “noise” on TV channels and social media. In a post on ‘X’, he said, “I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections. I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp Etc because the only numbers that matter will be revealed on the 8th of Oct. The rest is just time pass”.