With the voting concluded in Haryana and EVM and VVPAT being sealed and secured for the October 8 counting day, the focus shifts to what exit polls predict for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Congress is likely to form the government in the state after a decade, while exit polls predict a win for the National Conference in the Union Territory, projecting 35-40 seats in alliance with the grand old party.

The concluded election is particularly important as it is the first one since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, which resulted in the reorganization of the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and Congress formed a coalition to contest in the election, while the People’s Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party ran separately.

According to exit polls, the Congress will secure 55 seats in Haryana while they predict 26 seats for the BJP. It says that the JJP would win 0-1 seats, the INLD – 2-3 while others could win 3-5 seats.

For the Union Territory, the exit polls predicted a victory for the NC-Congress alliance with 35-40 seats. BJP may secure 20-25, while the PDP is likely to gain 4-7, and Others could win up to 12-16.

On exit polls prediction for Haryana, the former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said: “I feel that we will win 65 plus-minus seats. Congress will form the government with a thumping majority.”

“We will work on unemployment, education and security. CM post is everyone’s right. This is democracy. Whatever decision the High Command takes we will accept this. Kumari Selja is our senior leader,” he said while speaking to reporters.

“BJP contested the elections with all its strength, and we are confident that BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Jammu and Kashmir. I feel that the BJP will emerge victorious when the results will be out on October 8,” said Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said, “These elections were fought to keep the BJP out of power and restoration for statehood. Talking about the (Congress-National Conference) alliance, we are in a comfortable position.”

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah posted on X, “I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections. I’m ignoring all the noise on channels, social media, WhatsApp Etc because the only numbers that matter will be revealed on the 8th of Oct. The rest is just time pass.”

BJP senior leader Anil Vij, on exit poll predictions, said BJP will surely win in Haryana and form the government again.

“As per the exit poll predictions, we (Congress-National Conference alliance) will likely win 50-61 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while in Haryana, Congress will win around 55-65 seats. I want to thank the people of both states,” said Congress leader Ashok Tanwar on exit poll predictions for Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, AAP leaders, and as many as 27 people were detained from outside Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena’s residence in north Delhi on Saturday while they were protesting over the issue of bus marshals.

“Bus marshals and people of Delhi have been cheated,” said Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Bharadwaj after being detained.

“All civil defence volunteers were there in the meeting with us at Delhi Secretariat in the morning. They all saw what happened there… However, L-G sent all the bus marshals out. What is he hiding from them? He did it so that they can’t know about the conspiracy by him to rob them of their rightful share,” the Delhi Minister said.

According to police, the AAP leaders were detained as they did not have permission for the protest and taken to a police station. They will be released soon, police added.

Over 10,000 civil defence volunteers deployed as marshals in public transport buses were removed last year after an objection was raised by the directorate of civil defence that they are meant for disaster management duties.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, accompanied by the AAP and BJP MLAs, went to Saxena’s office to submit a note on the issue of reinstatement of bus marshals and get his approval on it. The note was earlier passed in a meeting of the cabinet.

BJP MLAs met Atishi over the issue of reinstatement of bus marshals and the Chief Minister appealed to them to join a delegation that will submit the note to the L-G for his approval.

However, Atishi slammed the BJP alleging that it did not say anything to L-G about the passing of the proposal.

“The BJP demanded a Cabinet proposal to be passed in the meeting. We called an emergency Cabinet meeting and signed the resolution that was passed in Delhi Assembly to regularise the jobs of bus marshals. We have a provided a copy to BJP as well, but they were exposed. First, the BJP was not ready to go to L-G House. Once they did, they did not say anything to L-G about passing of the proposal. Delhi government took the Cabinet decision to making bus marshals jobs permanent, now the ball is in the BJP’s court,” Atishi told reporters.

A minor girl who had left home to attend a coaching class has been allegedly kidnapped and murdered in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, triggering massive protests. The body of the girl was found in a canal. Her family and villagers have alleged that she was raped before her body was thrown into the canal. 

Reportedly, the girl was returning home from her classes when she went missing. Her family approached the local police station to file a complaint, but alleged that instead of receiving assistance, they faced harassment from the police. 

After the girl’s body was found in the morning, the villagers gathered in large numbers, expressing their outrage over the incident. They accused the police of failing to take timely action, which they believe led to this tragic outcome. Later, the police arrested the accused, an 18-year-old youth.  

Reportedly, a 200 person-strong mob ransacked the Mahishmari police outpost and set it on fire. In an effort to bring the situation under control, a large contingent, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed. Furthermore, the police had to resort to lathi charge and fire tear gas to disperse the mob. 

Superintendent of police of Baruipur police district told media that they received information around 9 pm on Friday and a case was registered. He added that the accused has been arrested and he has confessed to the crime. He asserted that when the police went to the village around 3:30am on Friday, villagers staged a protest.

Meanwhile, the BJP has claimed that it was a case of rape and murder and slammed the Trinamool Congress led government in the state. Union Minister and BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the girl was raped, and called for Mamata Banerjee’s resignation. 

CM Mamata Banerjee and her government is already under fire over their alleged mishandling of rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August.