NEW DELHI: Former chief minister of India-held Jam­mu and Kashmir, Omar Abdul­lah, is expected to take the helm again after his party won almost half of the total seats in recently held state elections.

Mr Abdullah’s National Con­f­e­rence and its ally, the Indian National Congress, scored an emphatic victory in the disputed region’s first state election since 2014.

The National Conference has won 42 out of the 90 seats, with eight of Congress bringing the alliance’s tally to 50 in the union territory, which is awaiting the status of a state assembly as per the promise made by the Modi government.

The 29 seats won by Mr Modi’s BJP in held Kashmir is the party’s best-ever show in the region.

Congress-NC alliance wins 50 out of 90 seats; Modi’s party to form govt in Haryana for third time after ‘shock’ win

For Congress, the taste of victory in Jammu and Kashmir was soured by a shocking defeat at the hands of the BJP in Haryana.

Exit polls had suggested that India’s leading opposition party was set to win elections in both states, but as per Tuesday’s results, BJP took 48 seats in the 90-member Har­yana assembly, leaving the Congress trailing with 36.

‘Conspiracy’

The shock verdict gave Pri­me Minister Narendra Modi re­a­son to believe he could spr­ing surprises. The Congress, however, alleged that the outcome in Haryana was rigged with the help of tampered electronic voting machines (EVMs) and an election commission “handpicked by the BJP”.

The party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh called the election result “a victory of manipulations” and “subverting the will of people”.

Mr Ramesh claimed there were “serious issues” with the counting process and the functioning of EVMs in around 14 constituencies and his party would soon take up the matter with the Election Commission.

Click to see more

“Results in Haryana are totally unexpected and surp­rising. They go against ground reality and the sentiment of the people which was for cha­nge,” Mr Ramesh said at a press conference with Cong­ress’ media and publicity dep­a­rtment head Pawan Khera.

“Under these circumstan­ces, it is not possible for us to accept these results [in Har­y­ana] … there are serious issues raised by our candidates which we will raise with the EC.”

He claimed victory had been “snatched” from Cong­ress and the results were “aga­inst the sentiment of people”.

“The Congress has been made to lose in Haryana and the chapter is not closed.”

On the Jammu and Kashmir results, Mr Ramesh said voters defeated BJP’s “mischievous designs” to somehow muster a majority in the region.

“People have given a befitting reply to those who trampled upon J-K’s respect by taking away its statehood,” he said, adding the NC-Congress alliance will make all-out efforts to revive the statehood.

‘Politics of development’

Meanwhile, PM Modi than­ked the voters in Haryana for giving a “clear majority” to his party for the third time in a row.

“I salute the people of Har­yana for giving a clear majority to the Bharatiya Janata Party once again. This is the victory of the politics of development and good governance,” he said in a post on X.

The victory in Haryana coupled with the party’s highest-ever seats tally in Jammu and Kashmir could blunt the claims that BJP was losing the grip on its supporters and brings into sharp focus the party’s organisational efficiency and leadership’s keen ability to redraw strategy in line with the changing ground dynamics, Hindustan Times said.

PM Modi also congratulated BJP workers “who have worked tirelessly and with full dedication for this great victory”. Reports said the RSS had helped the BJP in these polls.

“You have not only served the people of the state to the fullest, but have also taken our agenda of development to them. This is the result of which BJP has got this historic victory in Haryana,” Mr Modi added.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024