NC-Congress ahead in tight race, BJP tailgates INDIA bloc

Doda District Election Officer (DEO) Harvinder Singh announced that all arrangements are complete for the counting of votes in Jammu and Kashmir’s Assembly elections. Three counting halls have been set up for EVMs and postal ballots, with AROs appointed for postal ballots. Singh emphasised the randomisation of manpower to ensure impartiality and highlighted staff training. Security measures are in place, with a no-vehicle zone around the counting center and law enforcement prepared. Results will be declared on October 8.

After exit polls projected a win for Congress in Haryana and a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav expressed confidence in forming strong governments in both states, potentially through a coalition in J&K. Congress candidate Mewa Singh criticised the BJP's governance, citing public anger over issues like corruption and unemployment. BJP leader Shaina NC dismissed the polls, affirming BJP's chances. RJD MP Misa Bharti welcomed the predictions, supporting the INDIA alliance.

Ahead of Haryana poll results on October 7, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a frontrunner for the chief minister's post, traveled to Delhi to meet with party leadership. He emphasised that the party will follow its process for choosing the chief minister. While other leaders like Kumari Selja are also contenders, Hooda remains confident that Congress will form the next government, as exit polls predict a clear majority. Selja, reportedly upset over ticket distribution favoring Hooda loyalists, has been absent from the recent campaign.

Congress leader Harish Rawat expressed confidence in winning the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Haryana. He stated that people in J&K voted for peace and development, favoring the National Conference-Congress alliance as the best option. In Haryana, Rawat believes the people are seeking change after ten years of BJP rule and predicts a Congress majority.

Exit polls suggest a hung assembly in J&K, with the NC-Congress alliance leading, while in Haryana, exit polls predict a clear Congress victory, potentially securing more than 50 out of 90 seats.

Following exit polls predicting a strong Congress performance in Haryana, senior Congress leader Kumari Selja expressed confidence that the party will win more than 60 seats. She attributed this to significant anti-incumbency against the BJP, particularly among weaker sections who felt marginalized. Selja highlighted Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra as a turning point and noted that the decision on the Chief Minister would be made by the party high command.

Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that election results from one state should not be seen as a "referendum" for other elections, following exit polls predicting Congress's return to power in Haryana and a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking at a BJP membership event, Naqvi highlighted the BJP's continued success in Lok Sabha and state elections, crediting the party's resilience and commitment to improvement after defeats. He also advocated for the "One nation, one election" reform, calling it necessary to strengthen India's electoral process, and urged political parties to embrace this idea with an open mind.

In response to exit poll predictions for the Haryana assembly elections, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate Abhay Singh Chautala dismissed the projections, asserting that exit polls are unreliable and that the actual results on October 8 will surprise many. Chautala referenced past discrepancies between exit polls and election outcomes, citing examples from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Similarly, BJP candidate Anil Vij downplayed the importance of the exit polls, claiming that ground realities differ and suggesting a decline in public support for Congress in certain areas.

Various exit polls, including those by TV-Today C Voter, Republic TV-Matrize, People Pulse, Dainik Bhaskar, and Dhruv Research, predicted a strong comeback for Congress, with projections ranging from 44 to 64 seats out of 90. The BJP is expected to win 15-32 seats, while others may secure 4-16 seats. The majority needed to form the government is 46 seats.

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, a Congress leader, expressed confidence in his party's victory in the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections following exit poll projections. The polls suggest a clean sweep for the Congress, with some estimating the party could win over 50 of the 90 seats. Hooda thanked voters for a peaceful election and highlighted Congress' past achievements during its rule from 2005 to 2014, contrasting it with the BJP-JJP government from 2014 to 2024.

Exit polls by various agencies, including Republic TV-Matrize and Dhruv Research, predict 44-64 seats for Congress and 15-32 for BJP. The BJP candidate from Ambala, Aseem Goel, remained confident, asserting that the final outcome will be clear in 48 hours.

Farooq Abdullah quoted by ANI as, "..I am confident that NC and Congress will comfortably form the govt. I congratulate them (to PDP if they want to extend their support to our alliance). We all are on the same path, we need to end the hatred and keep the J&K integrated..."

In contrast to the strident poll campaign witnessed this time, the Haryana assembly elections on Saturday saw a lower voter turnout than the last election, with only 67% electors voting. The polling went off peacefully barring minor skirmishes in a few constituencies.

The fate of 1,031 candidates vying for the 90 seats in the state assembly will be known on the day of counting, Oct 8.The highest polling of 74.51% was recorded in Fatehabad, followed by 73.27% in Yamunanagar, 73.25% in Palwal, 73.09% in Sirsa and 72.83% in Mewat. The state's most advanced districts of Gurgaon (57.73%) and Panchkula recorded the lowest polling percentages.

"Elections are the biggest festivals of democracy...We are winning from here with a huge margin...'Exit poll ki pol pehle bhi khul chuki hai'...The vote percentage in Bhupinder Singh Hooda's constituency decreased by 5%. In my constituency, it increased by 3%. This means that the public's support for Congress has decreased"

"The entire campaign of AAP in Haryana was centred around removing the corrupt BJP from power. BJP government will be removed from power. AAP will get a huge vote share in the Haryana assembly elections..."

"After all the difficult situations and all that AAP went through, the way our workers and leaders have fought the election is commendable. We will wait for the results. Exit polls are not always right. We will accept the people's verdict and everything will happen for good..."

"Politics is a game of claims. The picture will be clear in the next 48 hours. BJP will form the government in Haryana...AAP has not played a major role in the Haryana assembly elections as they have no vision...I will congratulate Haryana AAP President Sushil Gupta if the majority of their candidates can secure their deposit..."

National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday asserted that his party would not forge a post-poll alliance with the BJP for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. "We cannot go with the BJP. The vote which we have got here is the vote against the BJP. The difficulties they put the Muslims in, bulldozed their shops, houses, mosques and schools, do you think we will go with them?" Abdullah told PTI videos here.

He said the BJP did not give mandate to even a single Muslim in the Parliamentary election nor is there a single Muslim minister in the Union Cabinet.

"I think our people will not vote for the BJP. If they (BJP) think they will form the government, then they live in cuckoo's world," the National Conference (NC) chief added.

Candidates and their supporters from various political parties have been vigilantly monitoring the EVM strong rooms in Rajouri district ahead of the counting of votes for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, scheduled for October 8. The strong rooms, located at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Rajouri, are under a robust three-tier security system, including Central Armed Police Forces and armed district police, dispelling rumors about security lapses. Candidates have been informed to appoint representatives to oversee the strong rooms, which are equipped with rain-proof tents and CCTV cameras for added security. National Conference candidate Javed Iqbal Choudhary expressed concerns about safeguarding the public mandate sealed in the EVMs, while Rohit Kohli, chief election agent for the Congress-NC alliance, emphasized their duty to protect voters' choices. Nowshera constituency is experiencing a competitive race, particularly between BJP’s Ravinder Raina and NC-Congress candidate Surinder Choudhary.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday dismissed the exit poll results for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and said only the numbers coming out at the end of counting on October 8 will matter. "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," Abdullah posted on X. Most exit polls have shown the National Conference emerging as the single largest party followed by the BJP.

The NC-Congress alliance is shown to just cross the halfway mark in the 90-member house.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.

Exit polls for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the first in a decade, indicate a competitive race with the National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance projected to secure a majority. The NC-Congress coalition is expected to win between 35 and 50 seats in the 90-member assembly, with the BJP forecasted to capture 20 to 32 seats. The People's Democratic Party (PDP) is projected to secure 4 to 12 seats, while other parties could claim between 4 and 18 seats. The Election Commission reported an overall voter turnout of 63.88% across three phases, with the last phase on October 1 achieving a turnout of 69.69%. The assembly polls were conducted peacefully and marked the first elections since the abrogation of Article 370. Key political figures, including Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi, campaigned vigorously. Vote counting is set for October 8, following a Supreme Court directive for elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 2024.

The Nuh district saw a voter turnout of 72.2% as of 8pm on Saturday, slightly higher than 71.4% recorded in the 2019 assembly elections. The high turnout came amid a few incidents of clashes during the elections.

The Nuh assembly seat recorded the highest turnout with 73.9% till 8pm, followed by 73.2% in Ferozepur Jhirka and 69.5% in Punhana. The three assembly constituencies in the Nuh district — Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punhana — form part of the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2019 elections too, the Nuh assembly constituency had witnessed the highest voter participation, with a turnout of 73.51%. Punhana and Ferozepur Jhirka had followed closely, recording turnouts of 70.82% and 70.22%, respectively.

Interestingly, the voter turnout in Nuh district was higher in 2014 compared to 2019, with a percentage of 77.98%. In 2009, the turnout stood at 73.02%. The younger demographic in Nuh expressed their desire for more job opportunities and educational institutions, while women voters emphasised the importance of addressing water scarcity as a critical issue.

The electorate in Nuh also highlighted the need for an improved power supply, water availability, enhanced healthcare facilities, and overall development in the district, aiming to shed the “backward” label.

Meanwhile, three clashes were reported in Nuh on Saturday. In Khwajalikala village of Punhana constituency, a clash broke out between supporters of Congress candidate Mohammad Ilyas and independent candidate Raees Khan over fake votes. Two youths were injured. In Gulalta village of Punhana, a fight broke out between the supporters of independent candidate Raees Khan and Congress’ Mohammad Ilyas. A violent altercation erupted between the supporters of two candidates in Chandni village under Nuh.

Despite widespread anger over civic issues like broken roads and garbage buildup, voter turnout in Gurgaon saw a decline during the assembly elections on Saturday. The four constituencies of the district recorded a 57.2% turnout by 8 pm, down from 60.5% in 2019. Data revealed a stark rural-urban divide, with Gurgaon and Badshahpur showing low participation in the 50s, while rural areas like Sohna and Pataudi saw higher turnout in the 60s. Political analysts attribute the low turnout to unresolved civic problems and lackluster campaigns that failed to engage voters, especially in urban areas. Faridabad also recorded its lowest voter turnout since 2009, with 55.5% by Saturday evening.