Bharatiya Janata Party is winning Haryana for a third straight term, shattering predictions of the Congress party’s return to power after a decade-long drought.
In Jammu and Kashmir, where assembly elections were held for the first time in a decade, the National Conference and Congress alliance has secured majority.
HIGHLIGHTS | J&K / Haryana Assembly election 2024 results:
8.45 pm: Taking aim at the Congress, Modi accused the primary opposition party of “spreading the poison of caste”. This is a party run by those ‘born with a golden spoon,’ he said, adding that leaders of the Congress ‘cannot tolerate’ the rise of those from backward communities in public life. “The youth of Haryana foiled Congress’s conspiracy,” he said.
The Prime Minister went on to add, “The election results today have shown that Congress has become a parjeevi (parasitic) party.”
8.30 pm: The victory in Haryana is a win for BJP national president J.P. Nadda and his team, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during his address to party workers at the BJP HQ in New Delhi. “In so many years, bigwigs have led this state (Haryana),” he said, adding that voters in the state made history by voting BJP to power for a third consecutive term.
8 pm: PM Modi arrives at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets party workers and leaders as he arrives at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/Y9parWqbhV
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
7:10 pm: Noting that the elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been “special”, PM Modi writes on X, “They were held for the first time after the removal of Articles 370 and 35(A) and witnessed a high turnout, thus showing the people’s belief in democracy. I compliment each and every person of Jammu and Kashmir for this.”
He adds, “I would like to compliment JKNC for their commendable performance in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.”
I am proud of the BJP’s performance in Jammu and Kashmir. I thank all those who have voted for our Party and placed their trust in us. I assure the people that we will keep working for the welfare of Jammu and Kashmir. I also appreciate the industrious efforts of our Karyakartas.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 8, 2024
7 pm: “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,” writes Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X.
Congratulating BJP workers for the verdict in Haryana, he writes: “You have not only served the people of the state to the fullest, but have also taken our agenda of development to them.”
इस महाविजय के लिए अथक परिश्रम और पूरे समर्पण भाव से काम करने वाले अपने सभी कार्यकर्ता साथियों को भी मेरी बहुत-बहुत बधाई! आपने ना केवल राज्य की जनता-जनार्दन की भरपूर सेवा की है, बल्कि विकास के हमारे एजेंडे को भी उन तक पहुंचाया है। इसी का नतीजा है कि भाजपा को हरियाणा में यह…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 8, 2024
6:45 pm: The National Conference-Congress alliance has secured a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir elections, the first polls in the UT in a decade. NC wins 42 seats, while Congress wins six.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 29, and the Peoples Democratic Party has secured a victory in three seats.
6:15 pm: National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, the winning candidate in Budgam and Ganderbal seats, reacts to the victory of the NC-Congress alliance in the J&K polls: “…The results that have come out were totally unexpected. We have won more seats than we had anticipated, especially after what happened during the Parliamentary elections…”
On being named the next chief minister, he says, “This is a decision of the legislative party of the National Conference and the allies… I am not staking a claim to the chief-ministership of J&K.”
His father and NC chief Farooq Abdullah had announced earlier in the day that Omar will be the next CM of Jammu and Kashmir.
#WATCH | Ganderbal, J&K: NC winning candidate from Ganderbal and Budgam assembly seats, Omar Abdullah says, "… The results that have come out were totally unexpected. We have won more seats than we had anticipated, especially after what happened during the Parliamentary… pic.twitter.com/16Vih3qgTr
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
5.35 pm: Soon after Jairam Ramesh’s statement about victory being “snatched” from the Congress in Haryana, Kumari Selja, the party’s most prominent Dalit face in the state, sought introspection and accountability.
“We will have to make a fresh start and think about the shortcomings. We will have to see who all are responsible for such a result,” she said.
#WATCH | #HaryanaElections| Delhi: Congress MP Kumari Selja says, "The results are disappointing. Until morning, we were hopeful. All our workers are upset, they have worked for the last 10 years for the Congress party and when such a result comes, there is a huge disappointment.… pic.twitter.com/cSTlNonBi3
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
5.20 pm: Speaking to the media at a press conference, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh said, “The people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a clear decisive mandate to the NC-Congress alliance. The priority of this coalition government would be full statehood.”
“The people of J&K have defeated the mischievous designs of the BJP to engineer a majority. Such efforts were being made till yesterday, but today the people’s verdict has come out. The moves of the BJP and those managing the elections have been defeated,” he added.
Stating that victory had been “snatched” from the Congress in Haryana, Ramesh said, “All afternoon I have been in touch with the EC. They have replied and I have replied to their reply. We have received very serious complaints on the process of counting and the EVMs in at least three districts. Tomorrow or the day after, we’ll seek time with the EC, but I want to reiterate that the results in Haryana are unprecedented, completely surprising and go against the reality we saw on the ground, against what Haryana had made up its mind for—change and transformation.”
4.50 pm: With the counting still underway in Haryana, the Congress, which was confident of carrying the momentum of its Lok Sabha performance in the assembly elections and had begun celebrations early in the day, was stunned into silence, while the BJP regained its voice, with its leaders attributing its success to a ‘pro-incumbency vote’ in Haryana. Read ThePrint’s report on the state.
4.30 pm: In Jammu and Kashmir’s first assembly election following the abrogation of Article 370, the National Conference-Congress alliance has won 47 seats so far, crossing the majority mark. The BJP hoped to improve its performance in this election from the last 2014 assembly polls, in which it had won 25 seats. By 4.15 pm, the party had already won 27 seats and was leading in two seats. Read ThePrint’s report on the state.
4.15 pm: With the BJP set for a third term in Haryana, watch ThePrint’s analysis on how the party managed to pull it off and what they got right.
4.00 pm: Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, a loyalist of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda, loses from Hodal to BJP’s Harinder Singh by 2,632 votes.
3.50 pm: Speaking to media persons post Vinesh Phogat’s win from Julana in Haryana, former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh alleged that she “brought bad luck to Congress”.
“Wherever she goes, she ruins things. For 2 years, she ruined wrestling. She joined the Congress and brought it bad luck. She won from her seat, but brought her party bad luck,” said Singh.
3.45 pm: Congress’s Aditya Surjewala, son of AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, has won from Haryana’s Kaithal seat. Pitted against the BJP’s Leela Ram, Aditya won by 8,124 votes.
“This is the victory of the power of the youth. It is the victory of Kaithal. I thank all those who made this win possible,” he said.
Aditya, the youngest candidate in the fray in Haryana, held a roadshow in Kaithal soon after being declared winner.
#WATCH | #HaryanaAssemblyElection2024 | Congress leader Aditya Surjewala holds roadshow in Kaithal after being declared winner from the Assembly constituency pic.twitter.com/SkNERVB2j1
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
3.30 pm: Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina loses Nowshera assembly seat to NC’s Surinder Kumar Choudhary.
Choudhary won by 7,819 votes.
3.20 pm: Speaking to media persons, former CM and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that counting had stopped in several places.
“I have news that counting is stopped at several places. We are getting the majority…This is a game, the ball is sometimes here, sometimes there but we will achieve the final goal,” said Hooda.
Hooda has won from Garhi-Sampla-Kiloi constituency in Haryana.
#WATCH | Rohtak: Former CM and Congress candidate from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, Bhupinder Singh Hooda says, "I have news that counting is stopped at several places. We are getting the majority…This is a game, the ball is sometimes here, sometimes there but we will do the final… pic.twitter.com/qs3b9ElRu1
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
3.10 pm: As the BJP races ahead in Haryana, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday said that the “biggest lesson” of the poll results is that one should never be “overconfident” in the elections.
“Let us see what the results are in Haryana. The biggest lesson of this is that one should never be overconfident in elections,” said the former Delhi CM, addressing a gathering of AAP municipal councillors. “No election should be taken lightly. Each election and each seat is tough.”
The AAP had failed to reach a pre-poll alliance in Haryana with the Congress due to disagreement over the number of seats to be contested by it.
3.00 pm: After winning her first elections, wrestler Vinesh Phogat spoke about her plans for the future—will it be in politics or wrestling?
“Since I have entered politics, I will continue in politics. People have given me love, so I have to work for them on the field. It’s not like I can do both things at the same time,” she said.
#WATCH | Jind: Congress' winning candidate from Julana, Vinesh Phogat says, "Now that I have entered here, I will continue here. People have given me their love, I will have to work for them on ground. It is not possible to work on both simultaneously (politics and wrestling)." pic.twitter.com/ThBvEVDuni
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
2.40 pm: EC responds to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh over his memorandum on the display of results on EC website.
“There is nothing on record to substantiate your ill-founded allegation of slowdown in updating results,” EC writes in its response. “…Commission unequivocally rejects your attempt to surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and uncorroborated malafide narratives….Approximately, 25 rounds across all the constituencies are being updated every five minites, which testifies dissemination of counting process in a speedy manner.”
EC responds to Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh over his memorandum on the display of results on EC website.
It reads, "…Commission unequivocally rejects your attempt to surreptitiously give credence to irresponsible, unfounded and… pic.twitter.com/jBdJHrTyJn
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
2.30 pm: Watch the ThePrint’s election results analysis
2.25 pm: Congress’s Pradeep Narwal is trailing by 4,568 votes against the BJP’s Kapoor Singh in the Bawani Khera constituency in Haryana after 12 of 17 rounds of counting.
The 33-year-old Dalit leader got a ticket from the Bawani Khera constituency on the recommendation of Priyanka Gandhi.
2.05 pm: Omar Abdullah has won Budgam by 18,485 votes. In Ganderbal, he is leading by 8,558 votes.
Speaking to the media, his father and NC chief Farooq Abdullah said Omar will be the next CM of Jammu and Kashmir.
“People have given their mandate. They have proved they have not accepted the 5 August decision (to abrogate Article 370)…. There are a lot of things that need to be done—addressing various problems, such as unemployment. We have to address inflation, drug menace… There will be no L-G and four guides (if NC wins). We are thankful that the people participated in the polls… Omar Abdullah will become the CM,” he said.
#WATCH | Srinagar, J&K | National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah says, "People have given their mandate, they have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5…Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister." pic.twitter.com/qiTUaFz7zd
— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2024
2.00 pm: Tariq Hameed Karra, appointed president of Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress party days ahead of the assembly elections, is set to secure a win for the party in Central Shalteng constituency. EC trends show Karra ahead of Independent candidate Muhammad Irfan Shah by a margin of 14,381 votes after 14 of 15 rounds of counting.
Meanwhile, in Haryana, CM Nayab Singh Saini is leading against Congress’s Mewa Singh by 13,189 votes in the Ladwa assembly seat. Saini had replaced Manohar Lal Khattar as CM on 12 March. Read
1.45 pm: Wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat has won her first election as a Congress candidate from Haryana’s Julana constituency by 5,763 votes.
The 30-year-old, who was among those fought against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over alleged sexual harassment, took on the ruling BJP’s Yogesh Kumar. Read ThePrint’s report.
1.35 pm: In J&K’s Doda, AAP candidate Mehraj Malik was ahead of BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana by 4,770 votes. After the 13th round of counting, Malik polled 22,944, Rana 18,174 votes, and NC’s Khalid Najib Suharwardy 12,975 votes.
1.25 pm: BJP’s Krishan Lal Middha wins Jind, beating Congress’s Mahavir Gupta by 15,860 votes.
1.15 pm: Election commission has declared the first winner in Haryana. Congress’s Aftab Ahmad defeats INLD’s Tahir Hussain by 46,963 votes.
In J&K, The BJP has won in 5 seats, and the NC in 3.
1.00 pm: Mamman Khan, the incumbent MLA from Ferozepur Jhirka in Haryana’s Nuh district, is poised to retain his seat. EC trends show Khan ahead of Naseem Ahmed of the BJP with a margin of nearly 80,000 votes after 15 rounds of counting with another 4 rounds to go. Ahmed had won the seat in 2009 and 2014 for the INLD.
Haryana Police had booked Mamman Khan in February this year under the stringent UAPA in connection with the communal violence that erupted in Nuh on 31 July 2023.
12.45 pm: EC declares second winner in J&K—NC’s Nazir Ahmad Khan from Gurez seat, where he defeated BJP’s Faqir Muhammad Khan by 1,132 votes.
Read ThePrint’s report on the special challenges and the generation-old troubles faced by the people of Gurez, which saw the ‘Wazir vs Faqir’ battle.
12.35 pm: After accusing the Election Commission of India of “slowing down” the uploading of real-time election trends on its website, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh shot off a letter to the poll body Tuesday. “As you can imagine, this allows bad faith actors to spin narratives that undermine the process,” he wrote.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) writes a letter to the Election Commission, alleging "inordinate and unacceptable delay in updating trends in the Haryana assembly elections."#HaryanaElectionResults2024 pic.twitter.com/if0wP6NKf3
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 8, 2024
12.25 pm: EC trends show 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s brother Aijaz Guroo trailing NOTA in Sopore assembly constituency. According to the EC, Guroo received 78 votes after 6 rounds of counting, with another 8 rounds to go. Irshad Rasool Kar of the J&K NC is leading in Sopore with a margin of 11,215 votes, with Independent candidate Mursaleen Aajir in second place.
Aijaz contested the election as an Independent with a message of “peace and development”. His brother, Afzal Guru, was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar jail on 9 February, 2013, for plotting the December 2001 attack on the Lower House of the Parliament. Read more here.
12.15 pm: The Election Commission has declared its first winner in Jammu and Kashmir with the BJP’s Darshan Kumar having defeated Congress’s Chaudhary Lal Singh by 16,034 votes.
The Congress’s decision to field Lal Singh from Basohli in Kathua had sparked controversy due to his past criticism of the police investigation into the 2018 Kathua gang rape case and his participation in a rally supporting the accused. He had been forced to resign from the party at the time. Read ThePrint’s report on why the Congress took him back.
12.05 pm: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh in a post on X asked if the BJP was “trying to build pressure” on the administration by sharing outdated and misleading trends on the ECI website.
“Like the Lok Sabha elections, in Haryana we are again witnessing slowing down of uploading up-to-date trends on the ECI website,” wrote Ramesh, the party’s general secretary in-charge of communications.
11.50 am: Jammu & Kashmir PDP leader Waheed ur Rehman Para is leading from Pulwama constituency by 3,560 votes with 7 rounds of counting done
Speaking to ThePrint in September, Waheed Para had said, “I think the image of Pulwama has to be dismantled a lot. It is not (just) misrepresented; it looks un-represented in many ways…. Pulwama is also a place with so much stigma and trauma attached to it. OGWs (overground workers who help terrorists), militant terrorists—every stereotype has been attached to Pulwama—as if we produce just that.”
11.30 am: Iltija Mufti, Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter and media adviser, has conceded defeat from Srigufwara-Bijbehara.
In a post on X, Iltija wrote, “I accept the verdict of the people”.
As of 11.30 am, ECI trends show Iltija trailing Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri of the J&K NC by 3,788 votes after 7 rounds of counting with another 5 to go.
I accept the verdict of the people. The love & affection I received from everyone in Bijbehara will always stay with me. Gratitude to my PDP workers who worked so hard throughout this campaign 💚
— Iltija Mufti (@IltijaMufti_) October 8, 2024
11.15 am: Jammu & Kashmir People Conference chief Sajad Lone is leading from Handwara seat, with Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan of the NC trailing him by a slim margin of 912 votes after 4 rounds of counting with another 8 rounds to go, according to ECI data.
In Kupwara, the second seat where he is in the fray, Lone is third behind Mir Mohammad Fayaz of the J&K PDP and Nasir Aslam Wani of the NC after 4 rounds of counting with another 6 rounds to go.
11.00 am: Arjun Chautala of the Indian National (INLD) is leading from Rania assembly constituency in Sirsa district by a margin of 4,997 votes after 5 rounds of counting with another 9 rounds to go. Meanwhile, Arjun’s father and former Leader of the Opposition Abhay Chautala is trailing from Ellenabad, where 4 rounds of counting are complete with another 10 to go, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
10.45 am: After early trends on TV channels put the Congress ahead of the BJP in Haryana, the ruling party made rapid strides, taking over the Congress. It has now crossed the halfway mark in the state, EC trends show.
10.30 am: The NC-Congress alliance crosses the halfway mark in J&K, with the NC leading in 39 seats and the Congress in 8. The BJP is ahead in 28 seats.
As per the election commission data, between 3-5 rounds of counting have been completed in most of the 90 constituencies in the region.
10.25 am: In Haryana, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda is leading against BJP’s Manju Hooda in the Garhi Sampla-Kiloi seat.
Meanwhile, the Congress has begun celebrations. With the party in the lead in both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, Congress workers have started distributing sweets and celebrating with ‘dhol’ and slogans.
10.15 am: Former J&K CM and National Conference chief Omar Abdullah is leading in both Ganderbal and Budgam seats.
10.00 am: In J&K, PDP’s Iltija Mufti is trailing in Bijbehara against National Conference (NC) veteran Bashir Veeri.
Speaking to ThePrint last month, Iltija, daughter of former Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, had said that no single party was likely to win on its own in the Union territory. She had added that the PDP would play a crucial role as “kingmaker” post-election.
9.45 am: The BJP races ahead in Haryana, leading in 43 seats. Meanwhile, the Congress’s lead has slipped to 38 seats. — CNN News 18
9.20 am: According to the ECI, the Congress is ahead in 6 seats, the BJP in 4 and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in 1 in Haryana.
The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference is leading in 21 seats in J&K, followed by the BJP in 17, the Congress in 4, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1.
9.15 am: ThePrint’s team of editors and reporters decode the Haryana and J&K 2024 assembly election results.
9.10 am: “I myself am not contesting the election; we have fielded some Independent candidates,” said Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid. “My request is that whichever party forms the government, it should listen to the people and work on real issues.”
VIDEO | J&K Election Results 2024: "I myself am not contesting the election; we fielded some Independent candidates. My request is that whichever party forms the government should listen to the people and works on real issues – autonomy, resolution to Kashmir issue, human rights,… pic.twitter.com/1KLYAIP48X
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 8, 2024
Read this story to know the key issues on top of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief’s agenda.
8.50 am: According to the Election Commission of India, BJP’s Sham Lal Sharma is leading in one seat—Jammu North.
8.45 am: With 36 Congress and 33 BJP rebels filing nominations in Haryana as Independents, or on tickets from smaller parties after being denied tickets, the two major political parties are worried about the impact they might have on the election. Read how these rebel candidates could turn, what might have been straightforward contests, into complex battles in key constituencies. Read more here.
8.30 am: In Haryana, early leads show the Congress ahead of the BJP in over 40 seats. Meanwhile, in Jammu & Kashmir, the parties are in a close race, with the Congress leading in over 30, and the BJP leading in over 20 seats. — CNN News 18
8.15 am: Speaking to the media, Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini said, “I am confident BJP will be forming the government in Haryana for the third time…. Congress works for power, BJP works for service.”
Saini replaced BJP’s Manohar Lal Khattar as Haryana’s CM on 12 March this year. Though Khattar has remained the most prominent BJP leader of the state, he was largely kept out of the limelight during electioneering. Read this story to know why.
8.00 am: Voting for Haryana’s 90 seats and J&K’s 90 seats begins.
7.45 am: In J&K, many firsts are taking place during these keenly watched elections: The first elections in 10 years, established political parties being pitched against several Independent candidates, who are backed by organisations like the banned Jamaat-e-Islami; the entry of Engineer Abdul Rashid; and the absence of stalwarts such as Mehbooba Mufti. Read this story to know more.
7.30 am: Ahead of the counting of votes, Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief and candidate from Nowshera Assembly Ravinder Raina exuded confidence.
“We are confident that BJP and its supporting parties will win the elections with full majority…We will win 30-35 seats,” said Raina.
7.00 am: Voting for Haryana’s 90 seats was held in a single phase on 5 October, while that for J&K’s 90 assembly seats was held in three phases between 18 September and 1 October.
Also Read: Exit polls say Congress to end BJP’s run in Haryana, NC-Congress to have edge in J&K