BJP wins Jharkhand, ends as second in J&K

The fate of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly seems undecided with no single party crossing the halfway mark even as the BJP emerged as a major player for the first time in the state, which often bears the ravages of militancy.

Current situation shows that Jammu and Kashmir is headed for a hung Assembly.

In the 87-member Assembly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bagged the first spot with 28 seats.

The BJP managed to win 25 seats of the total 87 seats.

The National Conference (NC) of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has trailed behind them at 15, losing about 13 seats from the last time. The Congress has managed to win in 12 only, which is a loss of six seats from the last time.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has said all options are open for the party in Jammu and Kashmir.

"All options are open in Jammu and Kashmir," said Shah at a press conference in New Delhi, adding that the "BJP will ensure that a popular government is formed in Jammu and Kashmir and democratic process is taken forward."

Abdullah, whose National Conference lost the polls by emerging third after the PDP and BJP, on Tuesday said he is not going to approach anyone to form a government though keeping the options open while his main opponent PDP said they are also in no hurry to cobble a government.

"I am not going to pick up the phone. I am not hungry for power. I am satisfied with the performance despite floods, hanging of Afzal Guru and other factors," said Abdullah who won one seat but lost another from where he had contested the assembly polls.

While he lost from Sonwar, he won the Beerwah seat by a slender margin of 910 votes.

Abdullah, when asked if he would in no way go with the BJP, did not reply clearly and said he is waiting for other parties like PDP to explore their options.

He, however, said he is not averse to hearing other parties if they approach him.

PDP is in a dominant position to form the next government. Its president Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed said they are not in a hurry to rush with any party to form government.

She said it is time to explore what combination can take forward the plans of her party to meet the aspirations of Kashmir.

"We are in the process of exploring the possibilities and we will do what is best for Kashmir," she said.

She also thanked the government at the centre for ensuring a free and fair polls, while admitting that she had expected more seats.

Interestingly, the Election Commission on Tuesday noted that about 49,129 votes were cast in favour of NOTA. The highest NOTA polled was at Ramban district\'s Banihal constituency.

In Jharkhand, the stage is all set for the BJP to form the government, where the party has secured 51 percent of the total votes\' share.

The party and its ally All Jharkhand Students Union Party (AJSU) have won 41 seats followed by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) with 18 seats.

The Congress is left behind with just 8 seats.

Following the big win by his party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated BJP workers for the success in the Assembly elections.

"My congratulations to the BJP karyakartas of Jharkhand. The results are the outcome of their hardwork and selfless dedication," he tweeted.

The fight for the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly elections saw heavyweights such as Hemant Soren (Dumka/Barhait) and ex chief ministers Arjun Munda (Kharsawan), Madhu Koda (Majhgaon) and Babulal Marandi (Dhanwar/Giridih) contest.

Outgoing CM Hemant Soren lost sitting Dumka seat for 5262 votes while he managed to win from Barhait with 24087 votes as counting inches towards conclusion.

Though the BJP has sailed through, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and heavyweight BJP leader Arjun Munda lost from the Kharsawan (ST) constituency.

Munda, who had won the Kharsawan seat four times earlier, lost to JMM\'s Dashrath Gagrai.

"Win and loss are normal process in politics. I am grateful to the voters of Kharswan, who gave me four times opportunity to serve them," Munda said.

Marandi, the first chief minister of Jharkhand and president of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha, lost the election from both the Dhanwar and Giridih constituencies.

He was defeated by Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) candidate Rajkumar Yadav from Dhanwar.

Ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda has also lost in this election too.