The early trends of Haryana results sprang a surprise on two counts on Tuesday morning - the first being the Bharatiya Janata Party decimating the "popular perception" of a Congress wave in the Jat-dominated state, and the second, a turnaround in celebrations at the Congress and the BJP offices.
The respective offices of Congress and BJP witnessed a dramatic shift in celebrations within two hours of counting.
Early trends showed the BJP trailing behind the Congress, leading to celebrations and sweets distribution at the latter's headquarters in Delhi. However, as the trends veered towards the BJP, jubiliations also shifted venue.
About an hour after the counting began, the BJP started taking the lead over Congress, energising and enthusing its ranks and file. The celebrations which initially started at the Congress office shifted to BJP headquarters.
The BJP continues to pip the Congress after a couple of rounds of counting and has consolidated its numbers beyond the halfway mark. The official numbers from the Election Commission also corroborate the figures.
Congress party, which an hour ago, was celebrating its likely victory by bursting firecrackers and distributing sweets now wears a dreary look. As Congress workers started early celebrations, media personnel were offered laddoos and sweets.
As its margin got eroded with a surge in BJP's numbers, the mood at the party office dampened.
However, Congress leaders are confident of a turnaround in numbers, with many more rounds of counting left.
Many top Congress leaders insist that the party will gain a majority and form the next government in Haryana.
Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda expressed confidence that Congress will win Haryana while Kumari Shelja termed the conclusions as "too hasty"
Till the filing of the report, the BJP has maintained a decisive lead over Congress and is modestly ahead of the magical number of 46. If these numbers hold, the BJP will be slated for a hat-trick in Haryana and probably the best-ever show in the state.
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