NEW DELHI: With the counting of votes for Haryana and J&K assembly elections on Tuesday, the results would hold significance for all major players, coming as they do three months after the Modi government assumed office for the third consecutive term.
While Haryana witnessed the first direct contest between the BJP and the Congress after the Lok Sabha polls, the mood is upbeat in the grand old party as most of the exit polls predicted its smooth win. If the exit poll results are validated in Haryana, it will be a shot in the arm for the Congress and the INDIA bloc in the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections.
The party is hoping to keep up the momentum of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where a resurgent Opposition INDIA bloc reduced the ruling BJP to 240 seats. For the Congress, victory in Haryana would indicate a strong support from the farmers and the Dalit community, which constitutes 20% of the state’s population. However, a tussle for the chief minister’s post can mar the glory of a Congress victory with former CM Bhupender Singh Hooda and his bete noire Kumari Selja vying for the top post.
Despite the exit poll results, the ruling BJP is confident of retaining power for a third term. Apart from the BJP and the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party are also in the fray.
In the keenly watched J&K polls, some pollsters have given an edge to the Congress-National Conference alliance while others predicted a hung assembly. These polls are the first since the abrogation of Article 370. While the BJP is hoping to form the government in ‘Naya Kashmir’ with the help of Independents, the Congress-NC alliance has also begun backchannel talks with other parties.
J&K saw the entry of a large number of Independents and smaller parties like the People’s Conference, Apni Party and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP). The PDP, which severed its ties with the BJP in 2018, is hoping to emerge as a kingmaker. On Monday, NC president Farooq Abdullah said he will “accept PDP’s support from the core of his heart”.
