Exit polls released on Saturday, October 5, 2024, paint a picture of a strong Congress performance in the Haryana Assembly elections. Multiple polls, including those conducted by ‘Dainik Bhaskar’, Republic-Matrize, Red Mike-Datansh, Dhruv Research, and Peoples’ Pulse, consistently predicted a clear majority for the Congress, with estimates ranging from 44 to 64 seats in the 90-member assembly. The BJP, on the other hand, was projected to win between 15 and 32 seats. The exit polls also indicated that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) might fare better than the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), with the latter possibly securing up to 10 seats.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the Assembly elections saw a closer contest between the National Conference-Congress alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The C-Voter-India Today survey projected the alliance to secure between 40 and 48 seats, while the BJP was estimated to win 27 to 32 seats in the 90-member assembly. Other polls, including Dainik Bhaskar, Peoples’ Pulse, and Republic-Gulistan, also predicted a close race, with the alliance securing between 31 and 50 seats and the BJP between 20 and 30 seats. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) was projected to win between 5 and 12 seats, while other parties were predicted to secure between 4 and 16 seats.
However, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah dismissed the exit poll predictions, emphasizing that only the final results on October 8 will matter. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his skepticism towards exit polls, particularly after the discrepancies observed in recent general elections. ‘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,’ he stated.
The results of the Assembly elections in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir will be announced on October 8, providing a definitive answer to the questions raised by the exit polls.
