NEW DELHI: Pollsters on Saturday predicted the exit of BJP rule in Haryana, giving the Congress a clear majority. They also saw a Congress edge in J&K as it has a pre-poll alliance with the National Conference.
The exit poll results came in shortly after polling concluded in Haryana, where the voter turnout was over 61%. The counting of votes in both states is scheduled for Tuesday, October 8.
However, NC leader Omar Abdullah was derisive of the exit polls, saying “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.”
As for Haryana, the contest was particularly intense, with the ruling BJP facing severe anti-incumbency, having stayed in power for two consecutive terms. The AAP did not appear to have an impact in the state.
Bouyed by the exit poll outcome, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the decision on chief minister’s face will be taken by the party’s high command after factoring in the opinions of the party’s lawmakers.
Peoples’ Pulse gave the Congress an average of 55 seats in Haryana while the BJP was trailing at 26. The Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), which was in alliance with the BJP till a few weeks ago, was heading for a washout, as was the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). All exit polls placed the Congress far ahead of the ruling BJP.
Dainik Bhaskar predicted the Congress getting 44-54 seats and the BJP 15-29 in the 90-member Haryana Assembly. The C-Voter-India Today polls gave Congress 50-58 seats and the BJP 20-28 in Haryana, while Republic Bharat-Matrize put the Congress tally higher at 55-62 seats.
In J&K, the C-Voter-India Today survey put the National Conference-Congress alliance at 40-48 seats and the BJP at 27-32 in the 90-member assembly. As for Dainik Bhaskar, it gave the NC-Congress alliance 35-40 and the BJP 20-25. Axis My India polls gave NC-Congress 35-45 and the BJP 24-34. Peoples’ Pulse predicted the NC-Congress getting 46-50 against the BJP’s 23-27.
Awami Ittehad Party chief Sheikh Abdul Rashid was pessimistic about the J&K poll outcome, saying irrespective of the results, the control will lie with Delhi. But he was courted by Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi, who called on him at his residence. It led to speculation about the Congress seeking his support for a post-poll coalition government. On Channi’s visit, Rashid said he was the only leader to raise voice for him in Parliament. “He came to visit and I thanked him for raising voice for me. We had a good discussion,” Rashid said.
The People’s Democratic Party said exit polls were not reliable, adding it was premature to talk about government formation. “What matters are the numbers at the end of counting,” senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said.
Over 61% polling in Haryana
Voter turnout in 2019 Assembly polls was around 68%
Sporadic incidents of violence reported in Nuh and Hisar districts of the state
Yamunanagar recorded a poll percentage of 67.93, Sirsa 65.37, Rohtak 60.56, Nuh 68.28, Palwal 67.69, Mahendragarh 65.76, Kurukshetra 65.55 and Jind 66.02 at 5 pm