Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, October 8-
Defying exit poll predictions and brushing off anti-incumbency, the BJP has pulled off a hat-trick in Haryana, becoming the first party to win thrice in a row in the state.
The BJP has won 48 seats, Congress has won 37. The INLD+ has won two seats and Independents have won three seats. The JJP and AAP could not open their accounts.
An aggregate of seven exit polls predicted that the Congress would win 55 seats, 10 more than the halfway mark of 45, and the party was on course to do just that or better even two hours after counting began at 8 am, but things changed very quickly - in the BJP's favour - after that.
The Congress wrote a letter to the Election Commission, complaining of an "unexplained slowdown" in updating results for the Haryana election.The Election Commission dismissed the charges and said approximately 25 rounds across all constituencies were being updated every five minutes.