Election results 2024: At 10am, INC leads in J-K, Haryana sees close battle

At 10am, the BJP raced ahead of Congress in Haryana with the saffron party leading on 43 seats, while Congress followed closely with 42 seats

As vote counting for the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir state elections progresses, Haryana is witnessing a fierce battle between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

In the early trends till 9am, the Congress-National Conference alliance trailed BJP in Jammu and Kashmir, while Congress held a comfortable lead in Haryana.

However, by 10am, the situation had reversed. BJP raced ahead of Congress in Haryana, leading on 43 seats, while Congress trailed with 42 seats.

In another shift, the Congress-NC alliance took a commanding lead in Jammu and Kashmir with 52 seats, while BJP lagged with 22 seats.

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Haryana sees close battle for key seats

In Haryana, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini is currently leading from his Ladwa seat in Kurukshetra district, while Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda holds an advantage in Garhi Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Rohtak district.

Notable candidates in this election include Nayab Singh Saini (Ladwa), Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Garhi Sampla-Kiloi), INLD’s Abhay Chautala (Ellenabad), JJP’s Dushyant Chautala (Uchana Kalan), BJP’s Anil Vij (Ambala Cantt), and Congress’ Vinesh Phogat (Julana).

Independent candidates include Savitri Jindal (Hisar), Ranjit Chautala (Rania), and Chitra Sarwara (Ambala Cantt).

Dushyant Chautala faces a challenge in Uchana from Congress’ Brijendra Singh, son of former Union minister Birender Singh.

Several rebels from both Congress and BJP are also in the fray. In 2019, BJP formed the government with JJP’s support, with most independents also backing them.

However, JJP's alliance with BJP ended in March when the saffron party replaced Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini as chief minister.

Get Live Updates on Haryana Election Results 2024

Exit polls predictions

On Saturday, at least four exit polls suggested that Congress might secure enough seats to form a government independently in Haryana. Meanwhile, vote counting is ongoing for the Jammu and Kashmir elections, where Congress and the National Conference are projected to have an advantage.

In line with exit poll predictions in Haryana, early results show Congress leading in 25 constituencies, while BJP is ahead in 21. Despite this, the ruling BJP remains optimistic about winning a third term, maintaining that exit polls are not “exact polls.”