Omar Abdullah Trolls Exit Polls As Pollsters' Predictions Go Wrong For Haryana Elections

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took a jab at exit polls after their predictions for the Haryana Assembly elections fell flat.

In a post on X, he sarcastically remarked, "If you pay for exit polls or waste time discussing them you deserve all the jokes/memes/ridicule. There was a reason I called them a waste of time a few days ago." His comment came as the BJP surged ahead in Haryana, defying most pollsters who had predicted a Congress victory.

According to the latest trends from the Election Commission, the ruling BJP has crossed the majority mark in the 90-member assembly in Haryana, leading in 49 seats, while Congress was trailing with 35. Among prominent candidates, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vinesh Phogat, and Independent candidate Savitri Jindal were leading in their constituencies. However, senior BJP leader Anil Vij, INLD's Abhay Singh Chautala, and JJP's Dushyant Chautala were trailing.

As counting began at 8 am under tight security, the early trends showed the Congress leading, but the BJP made significant gains later in the day. By 12:30 pm, the BJP had maintained its lead, while four Independents and candidates from the INLD and BSP were ahead in one seat each. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is yet to secure a lead.

In Kurukshetra's Ladwa constituency, Chief Minister Saini led by 9,632 votes over his Congress rival Mewa Singh, while Bhupinder Singh Hooda, contesting from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, maintained a healthy lead of 41,077 votes over BJP's Manju Hooda.

Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference-Congress alliance appeared poised to form the government, leading in 51 out of 90 seats. The BJP was leading in 28 seats, while smaller parties, including the PDP and Peoples Conference, along with Independents, were leading in a handful of others. The National Conference was leading in 43 constituencies, with its ally Congress ahead in seven.

Speaking to reporters, Omar Abdullah, who was leading by over 8,500 votes in Budgam and 5,000 in Ganderbal, emphasized the need for transparency and urged the BJP not to interfere with the people's mandate. He stated, "If the mandate of the people is against the BJP, then the BJP should not indulge in any 'jugaad' or manipulations."

In a key victory for the National Conference, Nazir Ahmad Khan won the Gurez assembly segment for the fourth time in a row, defeating BJP's Faqeer Mohammad Khan by 1,132 votes.