Indian-controlled Kashmir votes in final phase of polls to elect local government
Associated PressSEP 20 2024
According to official results reported on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a 48-seat majority to form government in the Haryana state Assembly for a third straight time.
India's main opposition Congress party, which last controlled the northern state from 2005 to 2014, said it would lodge a complaint with the election commission against the outcome in the coming days.
This comes as exit polls projected Congress to win 50 or more seats in the Haryana state assembly. Earlier this year, the ruling BJP lost half of the state's 10 seats in the national parliament.
While the loss in Haryana was a gut punch to Congress and its supporters, at least voters in Kashmir can celebrate the end of BJP rule. Narendra Modi lied when he said he wished to win the 'hearts' of Kashmiris, shown by his immediate stipping of their regional identity and autonomy. For the first time since New Delhi took over, the only Muslim-majority districtregion in India can finally speak its mind without fear of punishment.
The BJP's victory in Haryana is far more important than anything the Congress has achieved. WhileThe the opposition focused on minority groups, especiallyto Muslimssecure andvictories Jats,in theMuslim-majority BJPand campaignedJat-majority acrossareas, Haryanabut to motivate the state'sruling majorityparty ofwas Hindus.able Modi'sto partyretain evenits outperformedstronghold Congress in rural areas, despite the Jats being the farmer classconstituencies. Haryana is a Hindu state, and in the face of violence from other groups, it chose to fight back at the ballot box.