"We got carried away with our analysis of the turnout," Mr Omar Abdullah has said.
Two days after the serial terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir which claimed 13 lives, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said it was a backlash to the high turnout in the first two phases of elections and blamed the media for drawing attention to the voting figures.
"We got carried away with our analysis of the turnout," Mr Abdullah said. "Celebrations were premature, should have waited for all phases to be complete. It was like going into a tiger's cage and pulling its tail."
The first two phases of elections in the state had witnessed an unprecedented turnout of 71% and above. It was the highest in 25 years in the state which had been under the shadow of militancy since the '80s. Every election had been preceded by a boycott call by separatists and enforced with militants' guns.
This time, while a boycott call had been there, there had been no real emphasis on it before the first phase held on November 25, which saw a record turnout of 72.1%. The attacks began in the run up to the second phase - held on December 2.
Even so, people came out in droves to vote - saying it was a mandate for development in the state. The turnout was 71%.
But Friday witnessed attacks in four places in the state - the deadliest was a suicide attack in Uri, in which eight armymen died. The six militants who had mounted the attack were also killed in the over six-hour encounter.
"I would have been first to set off fireworks after all phases, but can we wait for all polling to end?" Mr Abdullah said.
Friday's attacks also came two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's big rally in Srinagar - a first by the BJP in the Muslim-dominated valley. The party plans to win over 44 seats in the 87-member assembly and is talking to fringe parties to gain heft in the Valley.
Talking about post-poll tie-ups, Mr Abdullah ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BJP. But the opposition People's Democratic Party, he said, was in talks with Mr Modi's party.
"I know for a fact that the PDP has been holding secret meetings with the BJP leadership. Mehbooba (PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti) may rule out an alliance with the BJP, but her father (party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) has not yet," he said.