Early trends from Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections in 2024 indicate that the Congress-National Conference alliance is ahead with more than 35 seats whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party is doing well in around 20. People’s Democratic Party, once a strong force in the region, is trailing at just 5 seats till now. Total seats for election in the assembly are 90 while 46 are required for forming a government. The Congress and NC alliance still remains uncertain regarding an outright majority as results are coming in with the exit polls predicting a close contest.
In Haryana, Northern state, it is going neck-to-neck between BJP and Congress. But Congress seems to be gaining ground on some expected issues of public discontent, such as the repealed farm laws and a controversial recruitment scheme called “Agniveer” by the army.
These are the first since Jammu and Kashmir lost its autonomy in 2019 and have seen fairly high participation in the final phase, above 65% in some places. To many voters, this election will restore some form of local governance after years of federal control; however, there is deep skepticism about how much influence an elected government will carry.
