Leading up to the release of official election results in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir which is coming on October 8, respective leaders from political parties release their views concerning the latest exit polls. While some appear confident about their chances, others seem to be less confident about the credibility of such results.
BJP’s Anil Vij Reaction To The Exit Polls
A BJP candidate contesting the Ambala Cantt Assembly seat in Haryana, Anil Vij sought to play down exit polls that predicted a comeback of Congress after ten years of rule at the Centre by the party when he said that elections are the biggest festivals of democracy. He declared himself victorious by a huge margin.
Vij said, “Exit poll ki pol pehle bhi khul chuki hai” (exit polls have been proved wrong earlier). The actual scenario is different. In Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s constituency, the vote percentage has decreased by 5%, while in my constituency, it increased by 3%. This proves that people are cutting ties with Congress. He further said there is no substantial support of AAP in Haryana and the party has no chance to defeat BJP in the state. He believes that the actual public feeling will come to the fore on 8th when the results are declared.
Mixed Reactions In Jammu & Kashmir
Political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir have reacted mixed to exit poll projections. “The people of J&K want a government that will listen to them and address their needs,” said Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI(M) candidate from Kulgam.
Exit polls predict a hung assembly in Jammu & Kashmir, where the Congress-National Conference (NC) alliance is likely to gain over at the cost of the BJP. Several opposition leaders also expressed hope for their prospects but BJP leader Altaf Thakur said that exit polls do not represent the party’s strength and that the BJP would stand better than the exit polls had indicated.
Suspicion On Exit Polls Composition
PDP leader in Srinagar, Zuhaib Yousf Mir, said that exit polls were not serious. He said they were just a time pass and he is very confident that the PDP would play a very important role in a secular government to be formed in Jammu & Kashmir. He insisted that the PDP would not support the BJP in any coalition.
After that he also questioned the accuracy of the exit polls, as such polls were mostly proven wrong in the past. “Everyone should wait for authentic results instead of relying on predictions,” said Tarigami.
Also Read: Jammu & Kashmir Exit Poll: National Conference Poised For Majority
Exit polls predict a hung assembly in Jammu & Kashmir. According to the predictions, NC will emerge as the single largest party, though hardly reaching majority strength with a popular vote. In fact, predictions indicate that the NC-Congress alliance might win around 35-45 seats, while the BJP might be able to muster 24-34 seats.
Political Landscape And Turnout
Jammu & Kashmir elections had reported a voter turnout of 63.88%, according to the reports published by the Election Commission of India. High voter turnout depicts that the public is glued to the electoral process, keeping in view that it has been over a decade since the political landscape changed in the region.
Former Deputy Chief Minister BJP, Kavinder Gupta, is confident that the party will bag more than 35 seats in Jammu and do much better than prognosticated in Kashmir. He said that talks were going on with “like-minded” parties, which may go on to form the government.
The results of the elections for Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir are to be declared on October 8. The actual political facts there will come to an end after the conclusion of these speculations around the exit polls.
