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.

The BJP has registered a surprising win in Haryana, defying exit polls and early trends. The credit for this victory goes to Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who worked tirelessly in the state alongside Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Haryana Election result, BJP winning factor: Everyone was surprised when the Bharatiya Janata Party replaced then-chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar with Nayab Singh Saini in March this year. While Khattar’s removal was not all too out of the blue, the choice of the Kurukshetra MP as the Haryana chief minister was pretty unexpected.