BJP set to lose two state elections, exit polls show

NEW DELHI: India’s ruling party is projected to have lost two key provincial elections to the main opposition Congress party and its allies, exit polls showed, suggesting another setback after the party fared poorly in national elections.

Local media reported that Congress had a clear advantage in the exit polls in the northern state of Haryana, indicating an end to a decade of rule by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state. The opposition also held an edge in held Jammu and Kashmir, reports a UK-based international wire agency.

The two elections were held in phases that ended on Saturday. Votes will be counted on Tuesday and results will be announced the same day. The exit poll results were released late on Saturday.

The exit polls, conducted by private polling firms including TV broadcasters, have a patchy record in India, which analysts say poses a particular challenge due to its large and diverse voting population.

The exit polls had projected Modi’s BJP would win a large majority in the general election in June, but it fell short and had to depend on regional parties to secure a majority and form a coalition government. The two Indian territories are the first to go to the polls since the national elections.

India’s industrial hub of Maharashtra and the mineral-rich eastern state of Jharkhand, next up in the provincial elections, are awaiting the announcement of poll dates that are expected to be in November.