Former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda stated on Sunday that the people of Haryana have already decided to bring the Congress party back to power. His remarks followed exit poll projections indicating a favorable outcome for the party in the recently concluded assembly elections.
Addressing the media, Hooda expressed gratitude to the citizens for their peaceful participation in the assembly polls. “I want to thank all the voters of Haryana for conducting a peaceful election,” he said. He reiterated his long-held belief that the electorate is inclined toward Congress, predicting a significant majority for the party.
Hooda highlighted Congress’s past governance from 2005 to 2014, citing their achievements and contrasting it with the failures of the BJP-JJP coalition during their tenure from 2014 to 2024. He asserted, “People have seen how they failed,” reinforcing his confidence in Congress’s return to power.
The exit polls conducted after the elections show a strong likelihood of Congress securing a majority in the Haryana assembly. The Republic TV-Matrize poll predicts Congress may win between 55-62 seats out of 90, while BJP is projected to capture 18-24 seats. The People Pulse survey also indicates Congress could secure 44-54 seats, with the BJP winning 15-29 seats.
Haryana recorded a final voter turnout of 65.65% across all 90 assembly seats in the single-phase elections held on Saturday.
Despite the favorable exit poll projections for Congress, BJP candidate Aseem Goel from Ambala expressed confidence that the BJP would form the government for the third consecutive term in Haryana. He acknowledged the uncertain nature of politics, stating, “The picture will be clear in the next 48 hours,” and emphasized that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) did not play a significant role in the elections.
A total of 1,031 candidates contested in the 90 assembly constituencies, with 20,632 polling booths set up for the voting process. The votes will be counted on October 8 for both Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. In the previous 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 40 seats, forming a coalition government with the JJP, which won 10 seats, while Congress secured 31 seats. The JJP later exited the coalition.
