Early Trends: Big Win Likely For Cong, Its Ally In Haryana & J&K

Karnal/Srinagar: With counting of votes still underway for the assembly elections in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Congress and its alliance with National Conference (NC) is ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party according to the early trends.

In Haryana—where the BJP is eyeing a straight third term and the polling was conducted for 90 seats on October 5—the Congress has crossed the hallway mark of 46 and is currently leading on 53 seats, according to reports. Various exit polls have predicted a clear majority for the Congress in the state.

In Jammu and Kashmir, which voted in an assembly election after 10 years, the latest leads show that the alliance of the Congress and the NC has crossed the halfway mark of 46 seats in the Union Territory—which voted in three phases (September 18, September 25, and October 1) for the 90-seat  assembly.

Jammu and Kashmir voted for the first time since 2014. It was the first election for it as a Union Territory after the scrapping of Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state a special status. Statehood has been a major issue in the elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP had vowed the restoration of statehood. Exit polls have predicted a hung house in the Jammu and Kashmir. The other key parties in the UT are the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the People’s Conference, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party and the Apni Party.