National Desk, 8th October: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made an unexpected comeback in Haryana, disrupting early celebrations by the Congress in the ongoing Assembly polls. Defying exit poll predictions that had forecast a Congress win, the BJP surged ahead in the race for a record third consecutive term in the state.
As of 10:30 AM, the BJP was leading in 47 of the 90 seats, surpassing the 46-seat majority mark and casting a shadow over Congress’s earlier lead. Congress, which had crossed the halfway mark earlier in the morning, is now leading in 34 seats. This marks a dramatic shift in the contest, as no party has won three consecutive terms in Haryana’s history since it became a state in 1966.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), once a dominant force in the state, was ahead in just three seats, while the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which aligned with the BJP in 2019, had yet to secure any leads.
In Jammu and Kashmir, where elections were held after a decade, the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance has taken a commanding lead. The alliance is ahead in 49 seats, surpassing the BJP, which is currently leading in 23 seats, according to early trends. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mehbooba Mufti, is leading in two seats, while independents are ahead in 10 seats.
The elections in both states are critical, with Haryana representing a key battleground for the BJP, which is seeking to make history, and Jammu and Kashmir witnessing its first Assembly polls in a decade, marking a significant moment for the region’s political future.