New Delhi, Dec 23 (NDTV): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP says it has "all options" open in Jammu and Kashmir, where it came a close second in counting of votes on Tuesday but fell short of its "Mission 44" by a wide mark.
The party's leaders indicated, however, that it is not inclined to join forces with the People's Democratic Party (PDP), set to be the largest group in what is emerging as a hung assembly.
"All options are open for us, BJP will decide on how other parties respond or initiate," Mr Shah said in Delhi.
After its best ever performance in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP is confronting a dilemma.
If the party doesn't form government, its newly elected legislators will be disappointed. On the other hand, it does not have much common ground ideologically with the PDP of Mufti Mohammad Saeed, who seems best placed to be the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, a post he has held before.
The BJP's parliamentary board, its highest decision making committee, is expected to take a final call tomorrow.
"If the PDP wants to go with the Congress so be it. We will be working in the Opposition in that case," said the BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi.
The Congress has said it is open to an alliance with the PDP but has left it to the party to make the first move. "The PDP has a mature leadership; they know what's good and bad. It's up to Mufti Mohammad Saeed and Mehbooba Mufti to decide in the interests of the state and whether they want to go with communal forces of BJP or secular forces," said senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad as the party hovered at the fourth position.
While the PDP has so far been noncommittal, a senior leader said it would be easier for his party to go with the Congress than the BJP. "It will be easier with the Congress because we had a common minimum programme with it," said Muzaffar Hussain Baig, a PDP lawmaker.
Earlier in the day, as results rolled in and it became obvious that the PDP would be the largest party in the state, its Naeem Akhtar said, "It is too early to talk of a tie-up with the BJP," also adding, "we will have to engage with the BJP" as it is in power at the Centre.
PDP emerging as largest party in a hung house, BJP second
Srinagar/Ranchi, Dec 23 (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir was today heading for a hung Assembly with PDP emerging as the single largest party by bagging 14 seats and leading in 16 while BJP also made gains by winning 18 seats and was ahead on 7, all in Jammu, but it failed to make inroads in the Valley.
Outgoing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah won from Beerwah but lost in Sonawar while his National Conference, which was the single largest party in 2008 assembly polls with 28 seats, bagged seven seats and was leading in eight others.
Congress, which was part of the ruling coalition led by Omar, won four seats and was ahead in eight. It had won 17 seats in the last election.
Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather was among the prominent losers. Omar defeated Congress' Nazir Ahmed in Beerwah but lost to PDP candidate Mohammad Ashraf Mir from Sonawar seat while Rather was defeated by opposition party's Ghulam Nabi Lone from Charar-e-Sharief. This was Rather's first defeat in assembly elections since 1977.
Among the prominent winners were People's Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed from Anantnag and former JK Bank chairman Haseeb Drabu from Pulawama as the party swept all four Assembly seats in Pulwama district.
Separatist turned mainstream politician Sajjad Gani Lone defeated National Conference minister Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan from Handwara.
Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand of Congress lost to BJP's Krishan Lal from Chamb constituency by a margin of 14,790 votes.
Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPIM) was trailing by 200 votes against PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Laway from Kulgam constituency.
The lone woman minister in Omar Abdullah government, Sakina Itoo of National Conference, was trailing by over 4000 votes against PDP candidate Abdul Majid Padder.
BJP, which bagged 11 seats last time, has won 18 seats and was ahead in seven.
BJP set to form government in Jharkhand
Ranchi/New Delhi, Dec 23 (IANS): The BJP Tuesday said it was ready to form a stable government in Jharkhand, with party president Amit Shah crediting the election victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"It is for the first time that people of Jharkhand have given a clear mandate in an assembly election to the BJP," Shah told journalists in New Delhi. "We will form a majority government."
Shah said his party was poised to win 41 seats in the 81-member assembly. Its ally, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), won four seats.
He credited the victory in Jharkhand -- and the BJP's good showing in Jammu and Kashmir -- to the achievements of Modi's six-month-old central government.
"People's love and respect for Modi has translated into this victory (in Jharkhand)," Shah said, referring to a state that has seen a as many as nine chief ministers in the past 14 years.
Earlier, state BJP president Ravindra Kumar Rai told IANS: "We will form a stable government in Jharkhand.
"We were hoping to get a two-third majority but have fallen short of the 50 seats we were hoping to win," he said.
Vote count that began in the morning showed that the BJP was coasting to victory. It could get around 40 seats, more than the 18 it held in the outgoing assembly.
Modi had addressed a number of rallies in the state in the run up to the five-phase polls.
"Forming government in Jharkhand is imminent," said Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar outside parliament in New Delhi.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) seemed set to improve its performance, bagging around 20 seats. It was an improvement from 18 seats that it won last time, but woefully short of the halfway mark.
The JVM was headed for victory on eight seats while the Congress was set to get four seats.
Almost all the exit polls after the five-phase election had predicted a BJP win in Jharkhand.
It was a day of big upsets, with even former chief ministers biting the dust.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren contested from two seats. He won from Barhait but was trailing in Dumka.
Former chief minister Madhu Koda, accused of corruption, lost the poll from Majhgao assembly seat.
Another former chief Minister, Babulal Marandi, was trailing in Dhanwar. Arjun Munda, also a former chief minister, trailed from Kharsawa seat.
The BJP, which contested the polls in alliance with the AJSU and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), fielded candidates in 72 seats. The AJSU had put up candidates in eight places. The LJP had one candidate.
The Congress contested 60 seats while its allies RJD fielded 19 candidates. The CPI and CPI-M fielded candidates respectively in 24 and 13 constituencies.