Assembly Election Results 2024 LIVE: BJP ahead in J&K, close fight in Haryana

Assembly Election Results 2024 LIVE: In Haryana, the ruling BJP seeks a third consecutive term, but the Congress is equally determined to stage a comeback after 10 years out of power. This electoral contest, the first significant face-off between the two national parties since the Lok Sabha elections, has the potential to shape the political discourse in the run-up to assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi.Voter turnout for the 90-seat Haryana assembly stood at 67.90 per cent. Exit polls have predicted a Congress victory, but the BJP remains confident of defying these projections. Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini has dismissed the exit poll results, insisting that his party will return to power with a full majority. “On October 8, we will form the government, and the Congress will once again blame the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs),” Saini said. Meanwhile, Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a two-time former chief minister and the party’s likely candidate for the top job, has expressed similar optimism, saying, “A,comfortable majority for Congress is in sight.”Haryana assembly elections turned out largely a bipolar contest between the BJP and Congress, though parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) have also thrown their hats in the ring. Leaders of these regional parties, such as JJP’s Dushyant Chautala and INLD’s Abhay Chautala, have each claimed their alliances are poised to play kingmaker if the election yields a hung assembly. Meanwhile, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has claimed that no government can be formed without AAP’s support.Several high-profile contests unfolded from Ladwa to Ambala, and from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi to Adampur. Political heavyweights including CM Saini, Leader of Opposition Hooda, and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala are among the key candidates. The state has seen fierce battles, including family rivalries, with cousins Shruti Choudhry (BJP) and Anirudh Choudhary contesting in Tosham, and Devi Lal’s grandson Aditya Devi Lal (INLD) taking on JJP’s Digvijay Singh Chautala in Dabwali.The BJP has campaigned on a platform of good governance, merit-based jobs, and welfare schemes for farmers, while the opposition Congress has attacked the incumbent government on issues like unemployment, farmer distress, and inflation. The results will serve as a crucial litmus test of the BJP’s governance model, particularly following its change in leadership earlier this year, when Saini replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as chief minister.In Jammu and Kashmir, today’s counting marks the final step in a historic electoral process, as the union territory prepares to elect its first government since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. This election was contested over three phases, with a total voter turnout of 63.45 per cent, a slight dip from the 65.52 per cent recorded in the 2014 elections.The Congress-NC alliance, according to exit polls, is expected to come out on top, with NC poised to win the lion’s share of seats. However, the BJP is also projected to improve on its previous tally of 25 seats, and the PDP, which won 28 seats in the 2014 elections, is predicted to fare much worse this time. If needed, NC leader Farooq Abdullah has already signalled a willingness to align with the PDP to form a government, though he has ruled himself out of the race for chief minister