Counting of votes in Haryana and J&K today

Political parties are on the edge, especially after the exit polls indicated winds of change in Haryana and a tough battle in J&K

CHANDIGARH JAMMU: All eyes are on Haryana and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as the counting of votes in the just concluded Assembly elections will be taken up on Tuesday.

While the ruling BJP in Haryana, facing anti-incumbency sentiments, is sounding confident of scoring a hat-trick of retaining power, the main challenger Congress is hopeful of making a comeback in the politically important northern state. The BJP has been ruling Haryana for the past decade and the Congress has remained out of power in the state.

In Jammu and Kashmir multicorner contests were witnessed in the three-phase elections with the main parties being the CongressNational Conference combine, PDP of Mehbooba Mufti and the BJP which is hopeful of making its presence felt in a significant manner in the border territory.

Exit polls have predicted a victory for the Congress in Haryana which recorded a voter turnout of 67.90 per cent, they have given INDIA bloc an edge in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said all preparations, including security arrangements, have been completed for the counting process which begins at 8 am on October 8.

"A three-tier security arrangement has been made at counting venues," Haryana's Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal said on Monday. The elections in Haryana are the first major direct contest between the BJP and the Congress following the Lok Sabha polls.

Any of the two who emerges victorious will try and build a narrative in its favour as assembly polls are just a few months away in Delhi, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

The key parties in the fray in Haryana are the BJP, the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, INLD-BSP and JJP-Azad Samaj Party. However, most seats are likely to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 1,031 candidates, including 464 Independents and 101 women, are in the fray on Haryana's 90 constituencies which voted in single phase on October 5.