The counting of votes for the assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir will be held on October 8, setting the stage for the first big-ticket political battle in the country after the Lok Sabha elections.
Political parties are on the edge as counting day approaches, especially after the exit polls signalled winds of change in Haryana and a tough battle in J&K.
In Haryana, BJP is eyeing a record third straight victory and is hoping to buck the anti-incumbency sentiment that has weighed down the Nayab Singh Saini government for the last few months. However, a spirited Congress is confident of wresting power from BJP and making a comeback after staying in the opposition for a decade. Several regional players, like JJP and INLD, are hoping to upset the apple cart in a state where caste calculations can make or break the fortunes of mainstream parties.
Up north, Jammu & Kashmir is witnessing a historic election - the first since the abrogation of Article 370. Though still a Union Territory, the assembly polls had all the drama of an intense state election with multiple players hoping to be the first to form the government in "Naya Kashmir". The BJP is looking to shore up its numbers on the back of its development narrative following the scrapping of Article 370. It is up against a formidable alliance of National Conference and Congress. Both the parties, who are part of the broader INDIA bloc, joined hands to rule J&K again and deny BJP and its potential allies another shot at power. The PDP, which suffered a setback in 2018 when the BJP pulled the plug from the coalition government, is also hoping to spring a surprise and avoid being relegated to the margins. The UT also witnessed active participation from several separatists and former militants, who are hoping to turn mainstream politicians.
All eyes on assembly election results
The counting of votes for both Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana will begin at 8am at various counting centres. Initial trends will be based on the postal ballot votes.
"A three-tier security arrangements have been made at counting venues," Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal told PTI on Monday.
In J&K too, a three-tier security set up has been put in place at all the counting centres to ensure that all goes well in the restive border UT, long a stress point and witness to repeated instances of terrorism, insurgency and infiltration from across the border.
J&K voted in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. The voting in Haryana was held in a single phase on October 5.
The cumulative voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in the three phases stood at 63.88%, which is lower than the turnout recorded in the last assembly elections in 2014. Haryana recorded a voter turnout of 67.90%, just shy of 68.31% in 2019.
The results for Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir will be closely monitored, as these are the first major elections in India following the recent Lok Sabha polls. The elections are, in a way, a battle for momentum between BJP and the INDIA bloc.
A sub-par performance in the Lok Sabha elections took BJP by surprise and gave opposition parties, such as Congress, a stronger voice in the lower house. The results of tomorrow's elections will help the winner build a narrative in their favour in other states where polls are due over the next few months. BJP is viewing these elections as an opportunity to regain its lost momentum while INDIA bloc is hoping to maintain its positive trajectory and gain a firmer foothold on India's political landscape.
Haryana assembly election results
A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, were in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in single phase on October 5.
The elections are the first major direct contest between BJP and Congress following the Lok Sabha polls.
The other key parties in the fray are the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats are likely to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.
Prominent among those in the fray are Chief Minister Saini (Ladwa), leader of opposition Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD's Abhay Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP's Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP's Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), Capt Abhimanyu (Narnaund), O P Dhankar (Badli), AAP's Anurag Dhanda (Kalayat) and Congress' Vinesh Phogat (Julana).
In the outgoing ässembly, the strength of ruling BJP is 41 (including the Adampur seat won in 2022 bypoll), the Congress has 28 MLAs, the JJP (6), while Haryana Lokhit Party and Indian National Lok Dal have one member each.
In 2019, the BJP formed the government with the support of JJP while most Independents had also extended support. However, JJP's post-poll tie-up with the BJP ended after the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister in March this year.
The exit polls have predicted a comfortable victory for Congress in Haryana. A poll of six exit polls has projected 54 seats for Congress in the 90-member assembly. The BJP is expected to win 27 seats while other parties, including INLD, may bag 9, the exit polls have predicted.
J&K assembly election results
The fate of as many as 873 candidates, vying for a seat in the 90-member house, will be known by Tuesday evening when the counting of votes for J&K polls takes place.
The Union Territory saw an intense multi-cornered fight between BJP, NC-Congress alliance, PDP and a host of Independents.
This will be the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014 as well as the recent delimitation exercise. Post-delimitation, Jammu's representation in the assembly has gone up to 43 from 37 while Kashmir's representation has risen to 47 from 46. Ladakh is no longer part of the assembly since it is now a separate Union Territory.
Prominent among those in the fray are NC leader Omar Abdullah (contesting from Budgam and Ganderbal assembly segments), Sajad Gani Lone of People's Conference (from Handwara and Kupwara seats), Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hamid Karra (Batamaloo) and BJP state president Ravindra Raina (Nowshera seat).
The other notable contestants are AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir (Dooru), PDP leaders Waheed Para (Pulwama), Iltija Mufti (Bijbehara), Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari (Chanapora), CPM veteran Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (Kulgam) and former deputy chief ministers Muzaffar Hussain Baig and Tara Chand.
Exit polls predict that J&K could witness a hung assembly with NC-Congress holding a clear edge. If the predictions hold true, the NC-Congress alliance will have a strong chance to return to power in the UT with the help of smaller parties and Independents.
(With inputs from agencies)
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