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.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party looks set to pull off a surprise victory in elections for Haryana state legislature, boosting its prospects ahead of crucial regional polls in coming months.

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. Votes are also being counted in the northern state of Haryana.

By Sakshi Dayal NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved into the lead in elections in the northern state of Haryana on Tuesday, reversing early trends when it was trailing the main opposition Congress party,

India party, the National Conference, is a blow to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which secured only 27 seats.

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.

The BJP is in the lead in the state of Haryana which borders the capital Delhi, but trails in the federal territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which are seeing their first election results in a decade. The first local elections in India since Mr Modi’s party lost its outright majority in parliament,