Dehra Dun:
The Congress has emerged as the single largest party in Uttarakhand with 32 seats, ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a notch in the 70-member Uttarakhand assembly.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which was routed in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, holds the key to the government formation in the hill state where it bagged three seats, losing four from its 2007 tally of seven.
The BJP got 31, three down from last time, while others, including independents, together won four seats. Their support along with the BSP will decide who will lead the next government in the state.
BJP's Arun Jaitley said the BSP's vote share going down has benefited the Congress, as he dismissed any anti-incumbency factor played against his party.
The major setback for the ruling BJP was the loss of Chief Minister BC Khanduri, who had led the poll campaign with a slogan of "Khanduri hain zaroori".
He was defeated by Congress' SS Negi in Kotdwar constituency by over 4,500 votes.
A retired army officer, Khanduri was re-appointed chief minister of Uttarakhand last September following corruption charges against his predecessor Ramesh Pokhriyal.
The BJP had Khanduri back at a time when the party was preparing for the assembly polls hoping to tame the anti-corruption tide in the state. But the plan failed to deliver the desired result.
Pokhriyal, a known Khanduri bete noire, however, won from the Doiwala constituency defeating Congress' Heera Singh Bisht by 1,272 votes.
BJP state president Bishan Singh Chufal won from Didihaat defeating his closest rival Rewati Joshi of the Congress by over 10,600 votes
Uttarakhand Congress chief Yashpal Arya also won from Baajpur seat defeating Rajkumar of the BJP by 15,075 votes.
All eyes would be now on the BSP, other smaller parties and independents for the next government.
Both the Congress and the BJP expressed confidence they would form the new government.
"Certainly, ambition of any party who fights election is to form the government... We have an edge," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
Asked if the Congress would stake claim to form the government, Singhvi said, "Absolutely... I see no reason (not to stake the claim)."
The Congress leader said "there are some undecided people", indicating that his party would be talking to smaller parties to seek their support.
Ravi Shankar Prasad of the BJP said his party would also try to form the government in the state but feared that "the Congress may misuse the institution of governor".