If exit polls are to be believed, a hung verdict is likely in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. An overall voter turnout of 63.88 percent was reported in the polls, the first after post Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35-A. The results will be declared on October 8.

The pre-poll alliance partners, the National Conference, and the Congress Party enjoy an edge over the rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

However, the exit polls differed on the question of the single largest political party in the fray. The India Today-CVoter exit poll predicted that the saffron party is likely to secure between 27 and 31 seats.

The opposition’s INDIA Bloc (including the National Conference, Congress, and others) may bag around 11 to 15 seats in the region and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to get between 0-2 seats.

In contrast, the Bhaskar Reporters poll predicted  20-25 seats for the BJP and predicted NC-Cong may get the lion’s share of 35-40 seats while giving PDP 4-7 seats. According to their exit poll, 12-18 seats are likely to be bagged by the Independent candidates.

Peoples Pulse in its survey predicted 23-27 seats for the BJP and 46-50 seats to the NC-Congress combine, 7-11 seats for PDP and 4-6 for others. As per the Gulistan News poll survey, the National Conference and the Congress are expected to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir. The INDIA Bloc is expected to secure 37 seats in the J&K Assembly results, while the BJP is predicted to remain at 28-30 seats.

Reacting to the exit poll predictions, former Chief Minister 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.”