Omar Abdullah Dismisses Exit Polls, Says Only Final Results on Oct 8 Matter

Srinagar, Oct 5: National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has rejected the exit poll predictions for the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, stating that only the final vote count on October 8 will provide the real outcome. “I’m amazed channels are bothering with exit polls, especially after the fiasco of the recent general elections,” Omar wrote on social media. He added that he’s ignoring all the “noise” on social media, WhatsApp, and television channels, emphasizing that only the numbers on October 8 will hold significance.

The exit polls predict NC as the single largest party, followed by the BJP, with the NC-Congress alliance likely crossing the halfway mark in the 90-member house.

Meanwhile, Axis My India’s exit poll forecasts the BJP securing 29 seats, the Congress-NC alliance winning 40 seats, and others claiming 21 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

The final results will be declared on October 8.

The polling for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024 concluded in a peaceful atmosphere, marking the end of all three phases on October 1. The National Conference and Congress formed a pre-poll alliance, while the PDP and BJP contested separately this time. These Assembly elections, the first since the abrogation of Article 370, were held in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of nearly ten years. The West Pakistani refugee community exercised their right to vote for the first time in Assembly elections after gaining citizenship following the abrogation of Article 370. In 2023, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to hold Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.