Election Results: BJP Positioned to Form Government in Jharkhand, Neck-and-Neck With PDP in Jammu and Kashmir

"The BJP will form government in both the states, in Jharkhand and in J&K," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said, amid much speculation on possible post-election tie-ups for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir.

At 11:30 am, the BJP was leading in 24 seats in Jammu and Kashmir, the PDP in 30. The National Conference had fallen back at 15, losing much ground as compared to the last election.

In Jharkhand, the BJP was leading in 38 seats; it needs 41 for a majority in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha of Chief Minister Heman Soren was ahead in 22 seats. The Congress is wiped out, leading in only eight.

The BJP, which had won only 11 seats in the 2008 assembly elections in J&K, has made massive gains this time in the Jammu region.

In the Kashmir Valley, where it has never won a seat, its candidate Hina Bhatt was engaged in a nail-biting fight with the PDP candidate in Amira Kadal. In 1987, Muslim United Front candidate Mohammed Yusuf Shah was defeated here in a controversial result. He is now called Syed Salahuddin and is the chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is leading in Beerwah, but is trailing in Sonawar. On Monday, he ruled out a post-poll alliance with the BJP, saying its stand on various issues is "irreconcilable" with the views of his party.

Former separatist leader Sajjad Lone of the People's Conference was also leading in Handwara. Before the elections, Mr Lone called Prime Minster Narendra Modi "like my older brother." He has not ruled out a post election tie-up with the BJP.

Kashmir saw its highest voter turnout, 65 per cent, in 25 years despite boycott calls by separatists and several militant attacks ahead of key phases of polling. Jharkhand's 66.47 per cent voter turnout too was a record, for both Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

The BJP has so far not been a major player in J&K. But this year, it had set itself a target first of winning 44-plus seats. Prime Minister Modi addressed eight rallies in the state; his election rally in Srinagar was the first by the BJP in the Valley.

The BJP has promised a stable government in Jharkhand, which over 14 years since its creation, has seen nine governments and three stints of President's Rule. It did not name a chief ministerial candidate and built its campaign around PM Modi and his development agenda.