How Haryana, J&K Results Can Affect Congress, INDIA Bloc

Haryana J&K Results: This is also expected to undercut the Congress's newly minted ascendency and weaken its position within the Opposition.

The shock results for the Congress in in Haryana -- an election it was expected to win comfortably -- is likely to cast its shadow on another important election due next month in Maharashtra and Jharkhand -- states that the opposition INDIA bloc has to retain to keep up the momentum it gained from the Lok Sabha polls. The party's performance in Jammu, where it was expected to go toe-to-toe with the BJP, has also been abysmal. It has won just one seat and its few victories in Kashmir are seen as piggybacking on ally National Conference.

This is also expected to undercut the Congress's newly minted ascendency and weaken its position within the Opposition. The party's score in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year - 99 seats, up from 52 in 2019 -- had earned it the position of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, giving the INDIA bloc a voice and a new heft in parliament.

The results of this round of assembly polls have discredited exit polls, once again. The Congress, anticipating a big win in Haryana, ended up second with 37 seats - an outcome that has been attributed to factionalism within its state unit, complacency after the improved performance in Lok Sabha polls, and faulty strategy that placed all its eggs in the Jat basket.