Exit Polls Spark Political Showdown in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana
As the dust settles on the recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, the exit poll results are stirring up a political storm. Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir boldly claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the verge of a complete wipeout across four states: Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand. Meanwhile, BJP leader Sofi Yousuf, contesting from Bijbehara constituency, dismissed the exit polls as unreliable, setting the stage for a gripping political face-off.
Mir, who is also the Congress candidate for Dooru in south Kashmir, expressed confidence in his party’s performance. “Our assessment says people are going to say goodbye to the BJP in J&K. In Haryana, there’s a strong wave of support for Congress, with surveys over the last six months indicating a significant change,” he stated. The elections in Jammu and Kashmir wrapped up on October 1, boasting a voter turnout of 63.9%, while Haryana saw a slightly higher turnout of 65.6% on Saturday.
The exit polls released on Saturday painted a promising picture for Congress, suggesting a clear victory over the BJP in Haryana and a competitive edge in Jammu and Kashmir, where the National Conference, Congress’s alliance partner, is projected to emerge as the single largest party. Mir further elaborated on his optimism regarding the upcoming elections in Maharashtra, predicting that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress, and Uddhav Thackeray’s faction would collectively secure a strong foothold in the state. He also highlighted the achievements of the coalition government in Jharkhand, asserting that they have exceeded their manifesto commitments.
However, Sofi Yousuf was quick to counter these claims. “We don’t trust exit polls much,” he said, asserting that independent candidates are aligning with the BJP and that a BJP-led government will emerge victorious in Haryana. Yousuf expressed confidence that the BJP would be the single largest party in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming, “When the results come out on October 8, it will become clear that the exit polls were not right.”
Adding to the skepticism surrounding exit polls, National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah referred to them as “time pass.” He expressed disbelief that media outlets continue to focus on exit polls, especially after the inaccuracies observed in recent general elections. “I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp, etc., as the only numbers that matter will be revealed on October 8,” Abdullah remarked.
As the political drama unfolds, all eyes are now on the official results set to be announced on October 8. Will Congress’s predictions hold true, or will the BJP defy the odds and emerge victorious? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana is anything but dull.
