Exit polls suggest Congress to secure 54 seats in Haryana, while J&K may face a hung Assembly with NC-Congress alliance gaining traction
J& K the Congress-National Conference alliance is set to cross the majority mark. (Representative image: DC)
New Delhi: The Exit Polls indicate a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana, while a hung Assembly possibly looms for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The average of Exit Polls on Saturday suggested that Congress would secure about 54 seats in the 90-member Assembly, while the BJP is projected to decrease to 27. In J&K, although no party appears to gain a clear majority, the National Conference-Congress alliance seems to have a better chance compared to the BJP and its allies. According to the Exit Poll averages, the NC-Congress could secure 43 seats out of 90, while the BJP might get 26 and others 8. Here, smaller parties and independents claim to be in the "Kingmaker" position, with the PDP also announcing support for the NC-Congress government if they accept its agenda. The NC-Congress has already begun alliance talks with other parties to form a government.
Exit Polls have been woefully inaccurate in the past, most recently in June when predicting the outcomes of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, they remain an entertaining factor until the actual results are announced. Haryana and J&K are the first states to hold elections after the Lok Sabha polls this year.
The BJP faces an anti-incumbency test in Haryana, with the party seemingly rejected in rural areas mainly due to issues related to farmers, the Agniveer scheme, unemployment, and drugs. The controversy surrounding wrestlers protesting against the government also seems to have impacted the Exit Poll numbers. Whether the protesting wrestlers win a seat remains to be seen on Tuesday when the results are announced.
J&K will see its first government after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, although it will be as a Union Territory after losing its statehood in the process.
Surprisingly, pollsters predict poor performance for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Haryana. AAP had hoped to replicate its successes in Punjab and Delhi. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal made a last-minute effort to rejuvenate the party’s campaign, which was overshadowed by the building Congress wave. Almost all Exit Polls forecast significant gains for Congress in the state, allowing it to comfortably form a government, while AAP is projected to win nearly zero seats.
J&K underwent delimitation ahead of the polls, and the BJP hopes to benefit from this change. Axis My India, which has distanced itself from India Today after facing backlash for its inaccurate predictions in June, claims that the BJP will perform exceptionally well in the Jammu region, potentially winning 27-31 out of 43 seats. It projects 11-15 seats for Congress-NC, clearly indicating that the BJP remains the first choice of the people in this region. However, the voting patterns in other regions may overshadow its popularity in Jammu, as many in the state have expressed discontent over the Central government's decision to revoke statehood. Still, the BJP is expected to be the single largest party in the UT. In 2014, the BJP contested 75 seats and won 25, later forming a government in alliance with the PDP.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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