Assembly Election Results 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Early trends from counting of votes on Tuesday showed the Congress ahead in Haryana, and in a tight contest with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress was ahead on 24 seats, and the BJP on 19 in Haryana, with early postal ballot trends showing two seats in favour of 'others'. In Jammu and Kashmir the Congress-National Conference alliance was tied at eight seats with the BJP, while the PDP was yet to lead in any seat. The counting of votes began at 8 am with postal ballots being opened first. The counting of votes polled through EVMs will start half an hour later. Held less than four months after the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the results of Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir polls are important for both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led INDIA bloc. The Congress, which contested the polls in alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir and went solo in Haryana, is hoping for a good show at both the places to further cement its ground as a strong opposition and showcase its rising acceptance among the voters despite the ruling BJP's strong development pitch. In Haryana, the BJP is hoping to retain power for the third straight term, however, almost all the exit polls have predicted return of Congress with impressive numbers in the 90-member House. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which unleashed a strong campaign in the state led by former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, is also hoping to open its account in the state and expand its footprints beyond Delhi and Punjab. Regional power such as the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) and Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) may not have much success, exit polls say. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, where elections were held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370, exit polls have shown that the Congress-National Conference have their nose in front but it may fall short of a clear majority in the 90-member Assembly. The BJP, which is hopeful of sweeping the Jammu region, would be looking to get support from Independent candidates and several smaller parties in the Valley to form government and keep the Congress-NC alliance at bay.
