In a heavily-fractured verdict in Jammu & Kashmir, the PDP yesterday emerged as the single largest party throwing many possibilities in government formation while the BJP was all set to form government in Jharkhand in coalition with ally AJSU.
With 28 seats, the PDP was in a pole position to form the government, but the party appeared to be keeping all options open like the BJP which has won 25 seats, all in the Jammu region, recording its best performance in the state.
The BJP’s success in Jharkhand comes on top of its victory in Maharashtra and Haryana in the recent assembly elections after the stupendous victory in Lok Sabha polls.
However, the BJP, for whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi carried out an extensive “Mission 44+” campaign in the 87 member Jammu & Kashmir Assembly, failed to make any breakthrough in the valley and Ladakh where it drew a blank in 50 seats.
However, the party had more than doubled its seats from 11 in 2008 to 25 now while the PDP went up from 21 to 28.
The ruling National Conference was routed when it secured only 19 seats against 28 it had won in the last elections. Chief minister and National Conference president Omar Abdullah lost from Sonawar seat but managed to cling on to Beerwah with a slender margin of 1,000 votes.
J&K chief minister and National Conference president Omar Abdullah being greeted by his supporters as he comes out from a counting station after his win from Beerwah assembly constituency. Omar, who contested from Sonawar as well, lost from the constituency.
Its partner in the government Congress slipped to the fourth position getting 12 seats against 17 it had. Jammu & Kashmir People Conference headed by former separatist Sajjad Lone won two seats while JKPDF (Secular) and CPM won one seat each. Independents won in three seats.
As the picture became clear, BJP president Amit Shah said all three options were open for the party.
“The option of forming the government, the option of supporting a government and the option of participating in a government are all open,” Shah told reporters in Delhi.
To further questions, he said it is for the media to guess what the BJP would do. The party’s parliamentary board will meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
BJP president Amit Shah said his party kept all its options open in Jammu & Kashmir and wants a popular government in the state.
In Srinagar, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also kept everyone guessing. “Our priority will not be to cobble together a government by hook or crook. It will take time to explore possibilities and formation of government to meet the people’s expectations and good governance. It is difficult to say when it will materialize,” she told reporters.
Outgoing chief minister Omar Abdullah also did not reveal his party’s plan except to claim that the National Conference cannot be ignored in the current situation. “The NC will be a serious player in whatever unveils in Jammu & Kashmir in the next few days,” he said.
Interestingly, BJP has emerged the largest party in terms of vote share in Jammu & Kashmir securing 23% votes despite the washout in terms of seats in the valley and Ladakh.
The PDP came next with 22.7% , the National Conference got 20.8% while the Congress recorded 18% of votes.
Jammu & Kashmir saw record voter turnout in the 2014 assembly election.
Jharkhand, a state that was formed 14 years ago, got its first stable government with the BJP winning in 33 seats while leading in 4 seats in the 81-seat assembly. It ally AJSU has won five seats giving the alliance 42 seats, one more than the required majority of 41.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 18 seats and was leading in one more while its partner in government Congress won four seats and was leading in two.
