The BJP, which crossed the majority mark on its own in the last two general elections, appears to be faltering this time and may require a little help from its allies to get to 272 - the majority mark to form a government at the Centre.
"Dil khush hua (The heart is happy)," said Omar Abdullah, who lost his own election from Baramulla, adding that the BJP will now have to run a coalition government.
"Koi bhi exit polls ke baad ye soch bhi nahi sakta tha ki itni achhi performance Opposition ki rahegi. BJP jo 370 ki baat kar rahe the, jo 400 paar ki baat kar rahe the, ab unko coalition government chalani hogi (No one could have imagined after the exit polls that the opposition would perform so well. BJP, who were talking about 370, who were talking about 400, will now have to run a coalition government)," Mr Abdullah, who congratulated his opponent and winning candidate jailed former MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid, told reporters.
In the 2014 polls, the BJP collected 282 seats, while in 2019 it bettered its performance and ended up with 303 seats.
Mr Abdullah, who was once a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, congratulated INDIA bloc leaders for the good show at the hustings.