India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appeared on course for a surprise victory Tuesday at the polls in the northern state of Haryana, but trailed the opposition in the first election in a decade in the restive Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). .
Held in phases that ended on Saturday, the election was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first test of popularity since returning in June for a record third consecutive term — albeit with the help of regional parties.
The vote-counting trend in Haryana boosted the popularity of Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP months after it stumbled in the general election. Reuters was mentioned.
“It is a clear indication that the people of Haryana have realized that this is a party that has delivered and will continue to deliver,” said party leader Tom Vadakkan. CNN-News18 TV channel, talking about his performance in the northern state.
“This is based on performance…hard-core performance.”
Exit polls had predicted a victory for the Congress in Haryana and gave the lead to an alliance of the opposition Congress party and the regional National Conference (NC) in IIOJK, where the BJP has traditionally been weak.
Counting trends on the Election Commission of India’s website showed the Congress-NC alliance posting a comfortable majority in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region, which special autonomy Modi overturned in 2019.
Both the legislatures have 90 members each.
With more than half of the votes counted, the BJP was leading in 48 constituencies in Haryana, where it has held power for a decade, while the Congress was ahead in 37.
In IIOJK, Congress-NC alliance led in 47 constituencies while BJP led in 29.
A victory in Haryana would be a boost for the BJP after it fell short of an outright majority in the general election, ahead of district elections in the politically most important states of Maharashtra and Jharkhand.
The western industrial hub of Maharashtra is ruled by a BJP coalition, with an opposition alliance in power in mineral-rich Jharkhand.
Elections in both states are yet to be announced but are expected to be held in November.
A victory for Congress in the IIOJK would give a big boost to its leader, Rahul Gandhi, the scion of a dynasty that has given India three prime ministers but who has been blamed for the party’s decline since Modi first came to power in 2014 .
Gandhi was also the face of the two-dozen opposition alliance that denied Modi an outright majority in this year’s general election and now leads the opposition in the lower house of parliament.
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