INDIA bloc will get comfortable majority in J&K: Congress

Jammu, Oct 5 After Exit Polls showed Congress in a comfortable position in J&K, Congress Senior Vice President and Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma on Saturday, that the INDIA bloc will get a comfortable majority to form the government in J&K.

“The tally of the INDIA bloc - including Congress and NC - would be higher than projected by the Exit Polls. We will get a comfortable majority,” he said.

He added that the Exit Polls are in tune with our claim but our expectation is much more than the projected numbers.

He added that if need be, doors for like-minded parties shall open to keep the BJP and other such parties out of power.

NC-Congress alliance is seen as the clear winner in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, however missing the majority mark by a whisker, a couple of polling agencies found in Exit polls on Saturday.

Most exit polls have shown Cong-NC staying ahead in the race but failing to cross the magic numbers, thereby leading to the possibility of a hung house.

A Poll of polls shows the Cong-NC alliance fetching 43 seats, three less than the majority mark of 46.

According to India Today-C Voter exit polls, the National Congress (NC)-Congress alliance is projected to win between 40-48 seats while the BJP is likely to bag 27-32 seats. Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is seen fetching 6-12 seats while Others are seen pocketing another 6-12 seats, a usually high strike rate for Independent candidates in the valley.

According to Dainik Bhaskar, the Congress-NC combine is expected to emerge as the largest alliance however staying short of the half-way mark. Cong-NC alliance is seen bagging 35-40 seats, BJP getting 20-25 while PDP managing just 4-7 seats. Others including Independents are seen emerging as big players in this exit polls, as they are projected to claim victory in as many as 16 seats.

Peoples Pulse exit poll gives the NC-Congress alliance a clear mandate, with its numbers crossing the halfway mark. It is expected to get 46-50 seats while BJP will be reduced to 23-27 seats and PDP will get 7-11 seats.

All the polling agencies have predicted a clear majority for the BJP in the Jammu region, however Cong-NC tie-up is also seen posing a challenge in the region. In the Kashmir valley, people’s mandate is seen heavily tilted towards the NC-Congress alliance while PDP failing to repeat its clout, like earlier.

Even in the case of a fractured mandate, the NC-Congress alliance is expected to be way ahead of its closest rival BJP and in a better position to form the government, the first after the abrogation of Article 370.

Source: IANS