Several exit polls on Saturday predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana and gave an edge to its alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir with the regional partner emerging as the single largest party.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the Congress was forming a majority on its own and would end a ‘decade of misgovernance’ in the state.
Lesser seat predictions for the BJP are being attributed to anti-incumbency and anti-government sentiment in the state after the farmer protests.
Read NAI's exclusive in-depth Exit poll analysis for Haryana
'Dainik Bhaskar' predicted the Congress getting 44-54 seats and the BJP 15-29 seats in the 90-member Haryana Assembly. The Republic-Matrize poll put the Congress tally even higher at 55-62 seats as against the BJP's 18-24.
The Red Mike-Datansh exit poll gave the Congress 50-55 seats in Haryana and the BJP at 20-25, while Dhruv Research pegged the Congress at 50-64 and the BJP at 22-32.
Peoples' Pulse exit poll gave the Congress 49-60 seats and the BJP 20-32 seats in Haryana.
Most exit polls pegged the INLD tally higher than that of the JJP, while others were seen getting up to 10 seats.
Exit polls suggest a competitive election with Congress having an edge, but with several close contests that could impact the outcome. The performance in key demographic areas (like Jat-dominated seats) and urban vs rural divide seem to be important factors in this election.
As Haryana awaits the official results on October 8, this exit poll paints a picture of a state divided along rural-urban and caste lines, with both major parties showing strengths in different areas.
Jammu and Kashmir
Former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rejected the exit polls, saying that even during the Lok Sabha polls, most of the predictions failed to be true. He further said that these predictions were based on ‘hearsay’ and ‘WhatsApp forwards’.
PDP candidate from Bijbehara, and former CM Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti said that no ‘secular’ government would be formed without the PDP’s support. She also said that based on the exit polls, any government formed in the UT would be powerless and a ‘toothless tiger’.
J&K BJP Chief Ravinder Raina said that the saffron party would emerge with a strong vote and seat share and work on the people’s mandate.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the C-Voter-India Today survey put the National Conference-Congress alliance at 40-48 seats and the BJP at 27-32 seats in the 90-member assembly of the Union Territory.
Dainik Bhaskar pegged the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance at 35-40 and the BJP at 20-25 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Peoples' Pulse saw the NC-Congress alliance with 46-50 seats as against the BJP's 23-27, while Republic-Gulistan put the NC-Congress tally lower at 31-36 as against the BJP’s 28-30. In different polls, the PDP was seen winning between 5 and 12 seats, while others were also seen bagging 4-16 seats.
The results of the assembly elections will be announced on October 8.
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