In his first statement after the Congress' debacle in Haryana, Rahul Gandhi said, on Wednesday, that the party will inform the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the complaints concerning the counting process.

He also said the results were being analysed by the party.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha while reacting to his party's shock defeat in the state elections, said in a post on X, "We are analysing the unexpected results of Haryana. We will inform the Election Commission about the complaints coming from many Assembly constituencies."

He said further, “Heartfelt thanks to all the people of Haryana for their support and to our Babbar Sher workers for their tireless hard work. We will continue this fight for rights, for social and economic justice, for truth, and will keep raising your voice.”

National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah will become the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said his father and NC chief Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday.

“Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister,” Farooq Abdullah told reporters here when asked who would be the alliance’s CM face.

"People have given their mandate. They have proven that they don't accept the decision that was taken on August 5... Omar Abdullah will be the chief minister," said senior Abdullah.

Omar Abdullah won the Budgam and Ganderbal Assembly seats in Kashmir by big margins.

Even as the BJP improved its tally in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, its UT chief Ravinder Raina lost the Nowhsera Assembly constituency.

National Conference's Surinder Kumar Choudhary won the seat with a margin of 7,819 votes as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) data.

Raina secured 27,250 votes while Choudhary bagged 35,069 votes.

The firebrand BJP leader was seeking to retain his stronghold in the 2024 elections with an even bigger vote share. In 2014, Raina won the seat by defeating Choudhary by a margin of 9,503 votes. Raina had secured 37,374 votes polling a 49.51 per cent vote share.

Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Tuesday hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly betraying the INDIA Bloc and undermining the Congress in Haryana.

Maliwal accused the AAP of entering the Haryana elections with the sole purpose of damaging the Congress Party’s prospects, claiming that this move betrayed the Opposition coalition’s unity.

In a post in Hindi on X on Tuesday, Maliwal said, “The party entered Haryana only to weaken the Congress. It falsely accused me of being a BJP agent, and today it itself is betraying the India Bloc and splitting votes of the INC!”

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday informed that the AAP government would start repair work on 89 damaged roads in the national Capital that had been identified during a recent inspection.

She said that the repair work on the roads of the city would be completed before the Assembly elections, which are due early next year.

“During the inspection of the roads, it was revealed that 89 PWD roads in Delhi need to be completely recarpeted. Of these, tenders have been issued for the repair of 74 roads. Tender is being issued for the repair of 15 roads and work will start here too soon,” she said while addressing a press conference along with the AAP's National Convener Arvind Kejriwal.

A day before the counting of votes in Jammu and Kashmir, all procedural formalities have been completed to ensure smooth, fair and flawless counting of votes on Tuesday, said officials here, adding that security has been enhanced.

For all the 90 Assembly constituencies the counting will start at 8 a.m. Randomisation of counting staff in 20 districts of the UT was completed as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, which was done in the presence of the district electoral officers (DEOs) under the supervision of the observers designated by the ECI.

On the occasion, the designated poll staff was classified into teams, each comprising Counting Supervisors, Counting Assistants, and Counting Micro Observers assigned to their respective Counting Halls.

Terming the 50 per cent ceiling on quotas as an 'artificial barrier', Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress-led INDIA bloc will remove the reservation limit and also conduct a Caste Census in the country, here on Saturday.

"No force in the world can stop us from doing this… it is a promise by the Congress. We shall conduct a Caste Census and also remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation to give the people their due," said Rahul Gandhi amid a thunderous applause.

Addressing a 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan', the Congress MP said neither the Bharatiya Janata Party nor the RSS or Prime Minister Narendra Modi can stop them from these changes as the Congress and INDIA bloc are totally committed to taking reservation beyond the 50 per cent limit.

"A Caste Census is equivalent to an 'X-Ray'. What is the harm in getting it done? We need to have the correct data of how many Dalits, OBCs, Tribals, women, minorities and the general castes people are there. We are trying to protect the Constitution through the demand for a Caste Census," said Rahul Gandhi.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal vacated his official residence on Friday and shifted to a government residence on Feroze Shah Road in Lutyens' Delhi.

Before Kejriwal and his family moved into the new house, a formal prayer ceremony was conducted at the government residence on Ferozeshah Road. This residence is located near the Aam Aadmi Party's headquarters and was allotted to Ashok Mittal, AAP's Rajya Sabha member from Punjab.

The government bungalow in Civil Lines, near the Delhi Assembly, was allotted to Kejriwal when he was the Chief Minister. Kejriwal vacated the Chief Minister's residence on Friday, along with his family and all other belongings and shifted to the new residence.

Kejriwal’s new residence is also close to his constituency in New Delhi. For now, he will reside in this government house, typically allocated to Members of Parliament, until the Delhi Assembly elections conclude.

Saying it is an ideological fight between the Congress and the BJP to save the Constitution, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the BJP had only given drugs and unemployment to Haryana.

He reiterated that once the Congress forms government in the state, the farmers will get a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Also, he cautioned people against the B, C, D and E teams of the BJP, which are contesting elections under different names in the state that will go to the polls on October 5.

Addressing largely attended public rallies in Mahendragarh and Nuh on the last day of the electioneering, Gandhi said it was a fight between hatred preached by the BJP and the harmony preached by the Congress.

In the first four hours of polling on Tuesday, an overall voter turnout of 28.04 per cent was recorded in the 40 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

The overall voter turnout was recorded till 11 a.m., said the officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“Bandipora district recorded 23.20 per cent, Baramulla, 27.15 per cent, Jammu, 31.78 per cent, Kathua, 27.34 per cent, Kupwara, 31.50 per cent in Samba and 33.84 per cent in Udhampur district.

In the first and second phases of J&K Assembly polls, nearly 62 per cent and 58 per cent voter turnout was recorded respectively.