BJP Wins Jharkhand, Best-Ever Result in Kashmir: 10 Facts

The BJP won 25 of 87 seats in Kashmir, its best showing ever in the Muslim-majority state, but still way short of a simple majority that it wanted to seize power.  The Peoples Democratic Party or PDP, which is led by Mufti Mohammad SAyeed, placed first.

"We are open to all options", said BJP president Amit Shah about whether the party will attempt to form a coalition govenrment in the state.  "We are not in hurry," said Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, with the Congress offering her party support.

Voters in the mineral-rich Jharkhand gave the BJP a clear majority with 42 of the state's 81 seats.  

The victory here potentially makes it easier for Prime Minister Modi's government to kick-start mining projects urgently needed to reduce energy shortages.

The new chief minister is likely to be Raghubar Das, the 59-year-old vice-president of the BJP in Jharkhand. The state has never been led by a leader who is not a tribal.  Mr Das belongs to a Backward Caste

Since Jharkhand was formed as a state in in the last 14 years of Jharkhand , no party has ever won a majority here.  The state has operated in a continuum of instability with nine different governments and two terms of President's Rule

Outgoing Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha lost one of the two seats he contested;  three former chief ministers - Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda and Madhu Koda - also lost the election.

The Congress, which ended its alliance with the JMM before the election, plunged from 14 to 6seats in the state legislature.

The Congress partnered instead with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United and Lalu Yadav's Rashtryia Janata Dal.  Both those allies did not win a single seat.

The BJP contested this election in partnership with the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) whose chief Sudesh Mahato lost his constituency.