India's ruling party BJP set to lose two state elections
India's ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is projected to have lost two key provincial elections to the main opposition Congress and its allies, exit polls showed, suggesting another setback after the party fared poorly in national elections.
In the northern state of Haryana, exit polls show a clear lead for Congress, potentially ending a decade of BJP rule under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Additionally, Congress seems to be ahead in Jammu and Kashmir, a region in the Himalayas.
The elections were conducted in phases, with the last phase concluding on Saturday. Vote counting is scheduled for Tuesday, with results to be announced the same day. The exit polls, which were conducted by private agencies, including television broadcasters, were released late on Saturday.
While exit polls provide a glimpse into potential outcomes, they are not always accurate in India, where the electorate is vast and highly diverse. Analysts caution that these predictions should be taken with some skepticism.
In earlier exit polls for the general election in June, BJP was predicted to win a sweeping majority. However, the party fell short and had to rely on regional allies to form a coalition government.
These two state elections are the first since the national polls, and they are being closely watched. Upcoming provincial elections in Maharashtra, India’s industrial hub, and Jharkhand, a mineral-rich state in the east, are expected to be announced in November.
Of particular significance is the election in Jammu and Kashmir, a region that has seen decades of militant activity and unrest. This marks the first election in the area in 10 years. Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region, has long been the center of a territorial dispute with Pakistan since the partition of 1947.
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