Saffron surge takes BJP to power in Jharkhand; hung Assembly in Jammu and Kashmir

With 28 seats, the PDP was in pole position to form the govt though clearly looking for a partner.

Soon after the results were announced, BJP president Amit Shah said his party’s good governance mantra had found resonance among the masses. (Source: PTI photo)

Continuing with its winning streak after the Lok Sabha elections this May, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) romped home in Jharkhand with a clear majority and as an important player with a shot at power in Jammu and Kashmir.

The party’s ambitious campaign aiming for a majority in Jammu and Kashmir had the full backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the state and addressing four rallies. But the final tally of 25 was well short of the 44+ mark set by the PM, though a significant just of 11 seats from its 2008 tally. And the BJP’s seats were limited to the Jammu region, with the party still failing to make inroads in the Kashmir valley.

With 28 seats in the 87-member house, the PDP was in pole position to form the government though clearly looking for a partner. The party appeared to be keeping all options open and BJP, even the Congress, looks like a probable ally at the moment. With no party crossing the 44 seat mark, it is still anybody’s game here.

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Incumbent chief minister Omar Abdullah’s National Conference managed to win only 15 seats, a loss of 13 from the its last tally of 28.

BJP has done exceedingly well in Jharkhand with the party winning 37 seats and the NDA managing a clear majority with 43 seats in the 81-seat state assembly.

Soon after the results were announced, BJP president Amit Shah said his party’s good governance mantra had found resonance among the masses. He also gave credit to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the win.

The BJP’s success in Jharkhand comes on top of its victory in Maharashtra and Haryana in the recent Assembly elections after the stupendous victory in Lok Sabha polls.

Wali Ahmad

Wali Ahmad is Editor (Operations) of indianexpress.com. He writes on politics and occasionally curates the weekly column The Urdu Press. Wali has extensively covered the Seemanchal region on the borders of Bihar and West Bengal. He joined The Indian Express in 2013, and has been responsible for news operations on indianexpress.com. In over 15 years of online journalism, Wali has covered all the major national and international news events, including three Lok Sabha elections. He holds a Master's degree in journalism from the Aligarah Muslim University. He has previously worked with HindustanTimes.Com, NDTV.Com, Indiatoday.in. ... Read More