Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: BJP Surges Ahead, Overtakes Congress in Dramatic Turn of Events

The results of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are coming in, and early trends indicate a major shift in Haryana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has crossed the majority mark of 46 seats, while the Congress's lead has decreased rapidly. Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress alliance is nearing the majority mark. However, these are still initial trends, and the situation is expected to become clearer by the afternoon when it will be known which party is likely to form the government in each state. In Haryana, the BJP is confident of retaining power, while the Congress, buoyed by exit poll predictions, is hoping for a comeback after 10 years. This election marks the first major direct contest between the BJP and Congress in the state after the Lok Sabha elections, and the results are expected to influence the political landscape in other states that are scheduled to go to polls in the coming months. The main parties contesting in Haryana include the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance, and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)-Azad Samaj Party (ASP) alliance. Most seats are witnessing a direct fight between the BJP and Congress. Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, which also saw polling simultaneously with Haryana, the contests are likely to be multi-cornered, rather than direct face-offs between the Congress and BJP. In Haryana, voting took place in a single phase, with a turnout of 67.90%. The state has 90 assembly seats and a total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 independents and 101 women candidates. Many exit polls had predicted a victory for Congress in the state. In Jammu and Kashmir, polling was conducted in three phases for 90 assembly seats, with 873 candidates in the fray. This election is significant as it paves the way for the formation of the first elected government in the union territory after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The elections are being held five years after the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The main contenders include the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), and the BJP.