elections

The party drew a blank so far with its senior vice president of the state unit Anurag Dhanda is among those set to suffer a big defeat. Dhanda, who contested from the Kalayat seat in the Kaithal district, was at the seventh position with Congress' Vikas Saharan leading by a margin of 13,419 votes. 

The party was looking to make a comeback after a decade by wresting power from the BJP. 

In the three-phased Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls to 90 seats, 63.88 per cent of the total electorate voted. Out of these, 1.48 per cent opted for the NOTA option.

"I give full credit to Modi ji. With his blessings, under his guidance, the people of Haryana have put a stamp on the government's policies," Saini said. 

Early vote counting trends indicate the Congress leading in Haryana with 24 seats, while in Jammu and Kashmir, a tight race sees the Congress-National Conference alliance tied with the BJP at eight seats each.

The poll panel has been struggling with the phenomenon of 'urban and youth apathy' where electors in metros, especially the youth, prefer to stay indoors and do not turn up at polling stations to cast votes on polling day. 

Counting of votes begin for J&K Assembly polls at 8 am.

Although the Congress, unlike in 2019, gave the former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda a free hand in finalising majority candidates and formulating election strategy, another heavyweight and Dalit leader from Haryana Kumari Selja has thrown her hat in the ring, queering the pitch for the Jat stalwart.  

"We feel that the Congress will get over 60 seats. The Congress has emerged as a major player in Haryana and it will form its government," she told reporters here.

"Earlier too we had said that in Haryana and Jammu Kashmir, the Congress government will be formed. In Jammu and Kashmir, Congress and NC (National Conference) alliance will form the government, and in Haryana Congress government will be formed," Kharge stated. 

"I want to give a message to all that casting votes is very important. Nobody should waste a vote," Kumar said after voting at the polling booth in the Ladwa assembly seat. 

Meanwhile, in Hisar's Narnaund, tensions escalated into clashes between workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress outside a polling station. The incident underscored the heightened emotions and competition between the two major parties.