India’s BJP set to lose elections in IIOJK, Haryana, exit polls show
New Delhi: India’s ruling party is projected to have lost key elections in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana to the main opposition Congress party and its allies, exit polls showed, suggesting another setback after the Hindutva party fared poorly in elections.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian media reported that Congress had a clear advantage in exit polls in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and northern state of Haryana, indicating an end to a decade of rule by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
The two elections were held in phases that ended on Saturday. Votes will be counted on Tuesday and results will be announced the same day. The exit poll results were released late on Saturday.
Exit polls, conducted by private polling firms including TV broadcasters, have a patchy record in India, which analysts say poses a particular challenge due to its large and diverse voting population.
India’s industrial hub of Maharashtra and the mineral-rich eastern state of Jharkhand, next up in provincial elections, are awaiting the announcement of poll dates that are expected to be in November.
