The vote counting for the 2024 Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections began today. Election officials, along with political party representatives, started the process at designated counting centers.
In Jammu and Kashmir, polling for the 90 constituencies took place in three phases—September 18, 25, and October 1. Meanwhile, polling for all 90 seats in Haryana concluded on October 5. Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer PK Pole confirmed that CCTV cameras have been installed in each counting hall to monitor and record the process. Counting of postal ballots started at 7:30 am, with the counting of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) commencing at 8 am. Pole noted that the elections were peaceful, with no issues faced by candidates or parties, and there were no incidents of violence during public participation.
In Haryana, the counting also began at 8 am, starting with postal ballots, followed by EVMs. Haryana’s Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal stated that 93 counting centers have been set up across 22 districts for the 90 constituencies.
Although exit polls had predicted a win for Congress in Haryana, recent trends show the BJP making a comeback. Congress leader Kumari Selja had hinted on Monday that she was in the race for chief minister. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who served as Haryana's CM from 2005 to 2014, said he was "neither tired nor retired" and would accept the high command's decision on the CM pick.
In Jammu and Kashmir, exit polls suggest a hung assembly, with the National Conference-Congress (NC) alliance expected to fall short of the majority. Independent candidates and smaller parties are expected to play a key role in forming the government. NC leader Omar Abdullah expressed concerns that delaying government formation until the restoration of statehood would benefit the BJP, which could prolong Central rule in the region.
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