Bhopal, Oct 8 (IANS) Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday credited the BJP's substantial lead in the Haryana Assembly elections to the development initiatives and welfare schemes implemented under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also accused the Congress party of misleading and misguiding the public with its false claims.

"I had earlier predicted a significant victory for BJP in Haryana. This wasn't said lightly. Under PM Modi's leadership, the welfare work benefiting all sections of society is evident in Haryana," Chouhan said.

Reacting to the initial trends of Haryana results, he said that the Congress party was building castles in the air while BJP always sought votes on basis of its works.

“Today’s results are a reflection of BJP’s solid and Cong’s untenable pledges, it has been relegated to third place in many places,” he said.

He pointed out that the Congress had been "overconfident" about its performance, but the election results were proving otherwise.

"Today's results show Congress slipping to third place while BJP is marching toward a decisive victory. The results clearly indicate that people have supported the developmental efforts," he added.

Chouhan further emphasised that farmers had benefitted the most under PM Modi's leadership, contrasting this with the Congress regime, during which, he said, no such benefits were seen.

"The impact of the Central and state government's schemes is reflected in these results," he noted.

The Union Minister also criticised Congress, accusing it of attempting to divide society, but asserted that such efforts would never succeed.

"The results are revealing that no matter how much Congress tries to divide the society, its intentions will never succeed. The country and Haryana stand behind PM Modi and BJP," he added.

Taking a swipe at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, Chouhan remarked, "Rahul Gandhi might engage in photoshoots in fields with his team or eat 'jalebi' to put on a show, but the public knows who is genuinely working and who is just putting on an act."

He also expressed confidence in the BJP's prospects in Jammu and Kashmir, suggesting that the party was moving towards an "expected victory" there as well.

The early trends in the Haryana Assembly elections have set up a gripping contest, with BJP and Congress locked in a see-saw battle. The Election Commission's data showed the BJP pulling ahead and crossing the halfway mark. As of the latest update, BJP was leading in 48 seats out of the 90-member Assembly.

Congress, contrary to pre-poll predictions and exit polls that suggested a sweep, was leading in 36 seats. Regional parties such as Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were not making a significant impact, each leading in just one seat.