‘Just time pass’: How J&K, Haryana leaders reacted to exit polls 2024 | Who said what
Several exit polls predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Haryana and gave an edge to its alliance with the NC in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress is set to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana and has an edge in Jammu and Kashmir with its alliance National Conference, exit poll results for the assembly elections showed on Saturday evening. The Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir exit polls provided a boost to the Opposition, after a weaker mandate for the ruling alliance NDA in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
While former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his party is going to form government with comfortable majority, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah described the exit polls as “just time pass” even though the results are in favour of his party.
Bhupinder Singh Hooda reiterated that the decision on chief minister's face will be taken by the high command on the opinion of the Congress MLAs. He made these remarks after the polling ended and several exit polls predicted the Congress' victory in the Haryana polls.
"We are forming the government with a comfortable majority," the 77-year-old Bhupinder Singh Hooda told reporters at his Rohtak residence.
On several exit polls predicting a Congress victory, the senior Congress leader said, “I have been saying that according to our assessment, we are forming the government with a comfortable majority... I have been saying that people have decided to form the Congress government.”
Former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said the BJP will be in a better condition in Kashmir and for this talks are going on with like-minded parties.
"It is only in the exit polls that Congress-NC has got these seats, but BJP will emerge as the biggest party once the correct results are out. We are confident of getting more than 35 seats in Jammu province and the remaining from Kashmir. BJP will be in a better condition in Kashmir...Talks are going on with like-minded parties," Gupta said.
BJP general secretary and J&K in charge, Tarun Chugh said these are only "exit polls" and the results will be better than this.
Chugh exuded confidence that in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP will form the government with a full majority.
“These are exit polls. The results will be better than this. BJP will form a government with a full majority in both Haryana and J&K. People's blessings are with BJP. Double engine government will be formed,” he said.
J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina said he is confident that the BJP will form the government with a huge majority.
The majority mark to form the government in the 90-member assembly is 46.
Congress leader Tariq Anwar said, “There was a possibility of Congress alliance to gain seats and government will be formed. The number of seats that are being shown now I am sure that Congress-NC will get more number of seats.”
Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir said the grand-old party-NC alliance will get more than 55 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly poll.
Describing the exit polls “just time pass” even though the results are in favour of his party," National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah said, "I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections. I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp etc. because the only numbers that matter will be revealed on the 8th of Oct."
The results of the assembly elections will be announced on October 8.