The Congress is poised to win and win big in Haryana, a state ruled by the BJP for the last decade, show six exit polls.
The exit polls do not always get it right. They have been way off the mark in the past. The most recent example being the 2024 Lok Sabha polls where they went horribly off target.
Dainik Bhaskar predicts 44-54 seats for the Congress in the 90-member state assembly, a huge jump from the 31 seats it won the last time. The same poll gives BJP anywhere between 15-29, which is a big slide from the 40 seats it won in the 2019 polls.
The results appear to be a rude jolt to the BJP, which has been maintaining that there is no anti-incumbency. The Congress had termed the BJP rule in the state as a "decade of pain".
With the big numbers, the focus predictably shifts to who will be the Congress's Chief Ministerial choice? Kumari Selja, a prominent Dalit face of the party and a Chief Ministerial hopeful, recently said it has been a long time since she has spoken to Bhupinder Hooda, another big face of the party and a former Chief Minister.
In the run-up to the polls, Ms Selja, 62, commenting abut her chances, told NDTV that there are "always possibilities in the country". But she amended that comment with "it is the decision of the high command only after the elections".
Today, as exit polls predicted a huge win for the Congress the same question was put to the 77-year-old Congress leader about the possible names, Mr Hooda said that's a call the "high command" would take.
Another poll, Dhruv Research, gives Congress 50-60 seats, which is way above the majority mark of 46. It gives BJP anywhere between 22-32 seats.
Industrialist and BJP MP Naveen Jindal, who crossed over from the Congress just before the general elections, today arrived to vote riding a horse, adding it is considered auspicious. However, the exit polls predictions appear to be telling a different story.
"I came here riding on a horse as it is considered auspicious. My mother, Savitri Jindal, who is contesting from Hisar, wants to do a lot for Hisar. So the people of Hisar will decide whom they want as representative," said the MP.
India Today-C Voter predicts 50-58 seats for the Congress and 20-28 seats for the BJP.
Peoples Pulse shows the Congress will win anywhere between 49-61 seats while it says the BJP may get only 20-32 seats.
Days ahead of the voting, the BJP had expelled eight rebels from the party for contesting as independents against Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. The Congress too had been hit with dissension. The party expelled 13 leaders for "anti-party activities" over their decision to contest the polls as independent candidates.
Yet another exit poll, Republic Bharat-Matrize predicts a whopping 55-62 for the Congress, while it predicts only 18-24 seats for the BJP.
Jist-TIF Research predicts 45-53 seats for the Congress and 29-37 seats for the BJP.
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