Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headed for a surprise election victory in Haryana state on Tuesday, reinforcing its popularity in the northern heartland a few months after stumbling in national elections.

This was also the first assembly election to be held since the federal government revoked the region's autonomy and changed the former state into a federally governed territory of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party appeared to be in a tighter contest in local elections in two northern provinces, in contrast to exit polls that predicted losses in both.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trailed in two provincial elections as votes were counted on Tuesday, TV channels said, a fresh setback after it failed to win a clear majority in the general election this year.

Defying the exit poll predictions, the BJP had a miraculous recovery after the early trends showed the saffron party trailing in Haryana.