Exit polls indicate major setback for India's BJP in two key state elections

• Polls indicate end to decade of rule of BJP in Haryana by Congress.
• BJP had to form coalition govt despite polls predicted its majority.
• Haryana, IIOJK first to go to the polls since national elections.

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 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 the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

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.

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 provincial elections, are awaiting the announcement of poll dates that are expected to be in November.

The IIOJK election was the first in a decade in the Himalayan region. It is the only Muslim-majority territory under India's illegal control. 

Its status as a special semi-autonomous entity was revoked in 2019 by Modi's government, aimed at altering the demographic structure and political landscape of the region, as it allowed people from parts of India to have the right to acquire property in the disputed territory and settle there permanently.

Pakistan maintains the stance that the move to revoke Article 370 is illegal and a violation of international laws, UN resolutions and the Indian constitution.